Morskie rejsy wycieczkowe na Arktykę i Antarktydę – trendy, rozwój, perspektywy

Abstract

Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) reports that in the last decade annual average increase in the number of cruise travelers amounted to 7.2% (BREA, 2014, s. 7). In 2014, more than 21.3 million travelers participated in sea voyages. It makes this segment to be classified as mass tourism. This is due to the strong competition between the cruise ship owners, who have introduced bigger and better equipped cruise ships to the market. This has an impact on the reduction of unit costs per passenger, and hence decreasing the ticket prices on cruises, enabling the greater number of tourists participation in cruise travels. The vast majority of maritime voyages aim to explore popular tourist destinations. However, next to the mainstream, cruise ship-owners also offer alternative cruise travels for persons with special interests, for example, cruises, whose purpose is to enjoy the unspoilt areas of the Earth, glacier landscapes, glaciers, fjords, icebergs, etc. The aim of the article is to identify market trends of cruise tourism in polar regions. The research is based on the analysis of source materials, statistical reports, normative acts, scientific articles and research reports of global cruise tourism organizations.

Keywords

• polar cruises
• cruise ship tourism