Mars endeavors may not get completed in the present time, but you can enjoy living in the Arctic, in the world’s northernmost hotel, which has opened exclusively for visitors. One Nordic travel company paved its way through the impossible. It made it possible to experience a luxury shelter in the center of the Arctic. However, it can only be visited for one month in a year because of the climatic conditions.
Maybe that’s why Santa has set up its headquarters in the North Pole as it is not reachable during the whole year due to its extreme weather conditions. He got enough time to prep for Christmas in peace. But not so long ago in 2018, a travel company based out of Scandinavia, Luxury Action, came up with an iconic Igloo Hotel so that a couple of visitors would visit and experience the Aurora lights with their coffee.
What is the accommodation like?
There are about ten Igloos available complete with heating and their bathroom facilities, at North Pole Igloo Resort. To get immersed in the nature and snowy escapes around you, the walls of the resort are of glass. The great Northern Lights are in view from this place, and you will have security, private chefs, and surrounded by the Arctic Wilderness.
As per the travel company Luxury Action, the igloos are incredibly safe and extensively tested in extreme weather conditions. One stay in the domes will cost you around 105,000 European Dollars for six nights, including flights and logistics from/to Svalbard to/from the North Pole, all meals included with proper guidance and safety.
While you might be scared to set foot on a plane to the North Pole, here are some statistics that can help you decide to set foot in this luxurious hotel in the North Pole. In light of tourism, 1,000 individuals make a successful trip to the north pole annually. Most remain in tents with equipment needed to stay safe in the arctic, hostile surroundings.
Is this luxury resort as sustainable as Luxury Action Claims it to be?
Luxury Action CEO Janne Honkanen says that she thought it is the time to give visitors an experience of the North Pole with scientists and Arctic explorers safely. She also calls this travel transformative as tourists make connections with local people and see the effects first hand. This trip intends to increase awareness of the climate crisis, and how global warming affects the North Pole’s wildlife and nature. The CEO emphasizes that the Igloo hotel poses no threat to the environment at the North pole and is a “purely sustainable experience.”
Based on ACCIONA, an international leader in sustainable solutions, every ton of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere causes the disappearance of 3m² of freezing ice through the summer. That is, more than 35% of the frozen surface area finishes.
According to Günther, achieving truly sustainable tourism requires an ambitious and comprehensive approach that aims at balancing social, ecological, and economic needs. It’s essential to decrease the footprint of tourism activities considerably, and luxury igloos near the North Pole are by no means compatible with this environmental challenge. Further, Günther concludes it’s hard to imagine how this could compensate for the high negative impact of the trip itself.