The number of people choosing Antarctica as a tourism destination has more than quadrupled in the last 15 years, it has emerged.
Some 28,826 tourists landed in the region in the 2006-07 season in comparison to only 6,704 in 1992-93, according to new figures from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO).
Consumers from Canada, Germany, Australia and Great Britain are the most common visitors to the location after Americans, who make up more than a third of all visitors.
If "cruise-only" tourists - those who do not leave the vessel they arrive in - are taken into consideration, then last season saw a total of 37,552 people attracted to the area.
Anthony Murray, a recent visitor to the region, told the Telegraph: "If you haven't been to that area before I would certainly recommend you go. It was absolutely wonderful. It was beautiful - there was every colour imaginable."
IAATO was founded in 1991 to promote safe and environmentally-responsible travel to the Antarctic region.
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