Remote expedition cruises to places like Antarctica and the Arctic are booming as affluent travelers increasingly seek out isolated, experience-driven destinations far from traditional tourism infrastructure.
The global cruise industry serviced a record 37.2 million passengers in 2025, up 7.5% from 2024, according to Cruise Lines International Association, with passenger volume expected to approach 42 million by 2028. Within that growth, expedition cruising has emerged as one of the industry’s hottest segments.
Ritu Panesar, founder and president of luxury travel company Travelpod, said her clients routinely spend between $30,000 and $50,000 per person on remote expedition itineraries, often booked months or even years in advance. “People are looking for experiences that feel transformative and rare,” Panesar said. “They want access to destinations that still feel untouched.”
Interest in Antarctica trips was up 34% year-over-year through the first four months of 2026, according to Jacqueline Mondelli, chief marketing officer at travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth, reflecting continued demand for high-end expedition travel despite rising costs and growing awareness of the logistical and medical risks tied to remote travel.
Travel risk experts and insurers told CNBC the deadly hantavirus outbreak aboard the expedition vessel MV Hondius is not likely to dent the appeal of remote expeditions. Even if it did, they say it would be difficult to assess right now as many high-end expedition itineraries are booked far in advance. But experts do say that as more travelers book trips within this cruise market niche, they have become more aware of the challenges that can emerge when emergencies unfold far from advanced medical care.
“People pursue these trips because the remoteness is part of the appeal,” said Sahara Rose DeVore, founder of the Travel Coach Network, who has traveled to more than 80 countries, many in remote locations. “Travelers understand there are uncertainties involved in expedition travel, but highly sought-after destinations like Antarctica draw strong demand despite those risks.”
Evacuation logistics, onboard medical capabilities, and contingency planning are issues that travelers should research before venturing into remote regions. Expedition travel protection policies often include emergency medical coverage, medical evacuation, trip interruption protection, and coordination services designed to transport travelers from remote regions to advanced medical facilities if a serious emergency occurs.
Rick Bagnall, vice president at travel insurance brokerage Brown & Brown, said it has not seen a meaningful uptick specifically tied to the MV Hondius situation. “Interest in evacuation tends to rise more from overall travel uncertainty than any one incident,” he said.
Travelers are ‘more risk-conscious than ever’
Dan Richards, CEO of Global Rescue, a travel risk-management company that provides medical evacuation, field rescue, security extraction, and crisis-response services for travelers in remote or high-risk locations around the world, said that, in general, travelers are more focused on risk prevention for these types of trips.
“People are more risk-conscious today than ever. I wouldn’t necessarily call it risk aversion, but they are looking for a plan B,” he said.
Global Rescue reported a 30% increase in security membership purchases so far this year compared with the same period in 2025 as travelers increasingly seek evacuation and crisis-response support before remote trips.
Maritime evacuations remain among the most difficult rescue operations because helicopters have limited offshore range and many expedition vessels lack helipads entirely. “If something happens on the open ocean and you are more than about 150 miles from land, there’s not a lot anybody can do,” Richards said.
Global Rescue handles roughly 100,000 assistance calls annually, with about 3,000 escalating into active rescue or evacuation operations. “We’ve done missions at sea where we orchestrate handoffs between vessels,” Richards said. “Those are difficult logistical challenges.”
In one recent case, Richards said the company coordinated a medical evacuation from a remote island near Tahiti after a traveler aboard a vessel developed a life-threatening condition requiring emergency treatment.
Cruise industry groups say the sector remains resilient and medically prepared. “The global cruise industry maintains comprehensive health, sanitation, and medical protocols designed to protect the health and well-being of passengers and crew,” said Sally Andrews, vice president of communications for Cruise Lines International Association, in a statement to CNBC.
Insurance policies and remote environments
Travel insurance and evacuation specialists told CNBC many travelers underestimate how limited medical infrastructure can become once ships move far from major ports and hospitals.
Bagnall said many travelers focus on whether they have insurance coverage without fully understanding how difficult evacuation logistics can become in remote environments, mistakenly assuming standard travel policies automatically provide robust evacuation support.
“Travel insurance is not a commodity,” Bagnall said. “The difference between ‘coverage exists’ and ‘help arrives fast’ tends to show up on expedition itineraries. In serious remote situations, medical and evacuation costs can easily reach six figures and exceed $250,000 depending on distance, required air assets, and medical complexity,” he said.
“In our experience, most travelers significantly underestimate both the likelihood and the cost of a serious medical event when traveling,” Mondelli said. “Traditional cruises typically have consistent access to ports, medical facilities, and Coast Guard support. By contrast, expedition cruises operate in a remote, unpredictable environment where the nearest facility may be days away,” she added.
Mondelli said Antarctica trips insured through Squaremouth averaged roughly $28,750 in total trip cost, and travelers heading to Antarctica are placing greater emphasis on medical evacuation protection, with $500,000 evacuation limits among the most commonly purchased coverage levels for those trips.
She added that purchases of “Cancel for Any Reason” and “Interruption for Any Reason” travel protection upgrades nearly doubled from 10% during the first four months of 2025 to 19% during the same period in 2026.
The MV Hondius, according to recent reporting, has a reputation among travelers for attention to detail and risk management. But travelers heading out on an expedition cruise should not assume the premium price tag attached to expedition cruises also guarantees premium emergency infrastructure, said maritime attorney Jason Margulies of Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman. “What they actually get is a cruise that has a lot of risky activity in remote areas without easy access to medical care,” he said.
Source
