“We are expecting to sell out again,” said Ute Hohn-Bowen, director at Argentina-based Antarapply Expeditions, in the 2019 Expedition Market Report by Cruise Industry News.

The company runs a seasonal program in Antarctica on the 90-guest Ushuaia.

“We are quite traditional; our concept works very well and our program is similar year-over-year.”

Expeditions range from 10-day Classic Antarctica programs to a 20-day sailing to South Georgia in January when seasonal pricing is known to be at its peak.

The ship was fresh off its final itinerary from the 2018-2019 season as the Ushuaia closed the program out with a 10-day Classic Antarctica sailing.

Hohn-Bowen said she was working through her 2020-2021 program as of early April and was hoping to announce it in late April or early May.

“Demand has been very strong,” she said. “Traditionally, we always publish in May or June, one and a half years out, but this year, starting in January, we were getting requests daily for the 2020-2021 program for both tour operators and passengers.”

Sailing the 90-guest ship, Antarapply Expeditions is one of the more unique operators in Antarctica with a classic small-ship experience.

“It gives the guests more time on land,” Hohn-Bowen said.

Demand is strong out of China for full-ship charters, and various U.S. partners are also keen on full-ship charters.

“We have the advantage of having 90 passengers, and our main clients are happy with that and happy to take the entire ship,” she said. For Chinese groups, the chartering company and Antarapply Expeditions work together to add interpreters and translators onboard

Originally built for the United States agency NOAA (National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration), the Ushuaia is an ice-strengthened vessel built for harsh conditions. She spent 20 years with NOAA under two names: Researcher and Malcolm Baldrige. The ship offers ample deck space and an open bridge for passengers.

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About the Expedition Market Report:

The 2019 Expedition Market Report by Cruise Industry News is a comprehensive overview of the booming expedition market, profiling 39 operators, over 40 new ships and projecting capacity growth through 2027. The 196-page PDF is a deep dive into all aspects of the expedition cruise market.

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