Luxury cruise is sailing through the Arctic

The global warming effect on glaciers is seen as a business opportunity for a company operating in the tourism field. A luxury cruise ship departing Alaska on Tuesday aims to be the first of its kind through the Arctic’s Northwest Passage—and it’s very unlikely to be the last, as tourists are more and more interested in discovering the beauty beyond the Arctic Circle.

Crystal Cruises promises a magnificent landscape dominated by ice lands, fjords and numerous rare animals, with a price starting from $ 22,000 per person. If the luxury liner Crystal Serenity that left Anchorage on August 15 will arrive safely at New York on September 16, this will be a first and could pave the way for Arctic mass tourism, according to BFM TV.

If smaller cruise ships have already sailed the Arctic, the Crystal Serenity is now the largest to make its way through a route considered nearly impassable. The huge cruise ship must navigate carefully through the islands of the Great North of Canada, an area that remains dangerous despite the rise of the water in front of glaciers. In fact, nature conservation organization World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) created a real scandal against this trip. Before the ship has left the port, WWF warned constantly of the difficulties in case of accidents and environment hazards.“The potential number of people on cruise ships that would need rescue exceeds the capacity of most [search and rescue] response vessels and aircraft available in the Arctic,” notes a recent U.S. Coast Guard assessment.