南极旅游正迎来爆炸式增长。[1]过去三十年间，造访这片冰雪大陆的游客数量激增，从1990年代的约8000人增长到上个季度的超过120000人，预计到2033-34年度还将超过45万人。[1]
在这样的背景下，运营商的选择对游客体验至关重要。Aurora Expeditions公司的一项调查显示，95.3%的游客将专家团队的素质列为选择运营商时最重要的因素，这一权重甚至超过了行程安排和船舶规模等传统考量。[1]正因如此，该公司决定邀请极地历史学家Liam Maloney加入11月8日从乌斯怀亚出发、历时20天的沙克尔顿探险航程，旨在通过专业讲解深化游客对南极历史的理解。[1]Maloney专注研究沙克尔顿远征中鲜为人知的人类故事，将为参与者带来独特的历史视角。[1]
Antarctic tourism is experiencing explosive growth, with visitor numbers surging from approximately 8,000 annually in the 1990s to over 120,000 in the most recent season, a trajectory that points toward potential arrivals exceeding 450,000 by the 2033-34 season.[1] Yet as the industry expands, research reveals that travelers' priorities differ markedly from what operators might assume.
A survey by Aurora Expeditions found that 95.3 percent of Antarctic cruise passengers rated the expertise of the expedition team as the most important factor when selecting an operator, outweighing considerations such as itinerary design and vessel specifications.[1] In response to this preference, Aurora Expeditions is enlisting polar historian Liam Maloney to join the company's "In Shackleton's Footsteps" voyage aboard the Douglas Mawson, departing November 8 for a 20-day expedition from Ushuaia.[1] Maloney specializes in lesser-known human stories connected to the Shackleton expeditions, offering passengers deeper historical context during their Antarctic journey.[1]