WORLD’S ONLY LUXURY ICEBREAKER MAKES AUSSIE DEBUT AS PONANT UNVEILS FULL ANTARCTIC CIRCUMNAVIGATION
Le Commandant Charcot has made her first call to Hobart, as PONANT EXPLORATIONS announces an unprecedented 62-day circumnavigation of Antarctica for 2028.
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Hobart has welcomed a world-first in polar exploration, with the arrival of Le Commandant Charcot, the only luxury icebreaker operating anywhere on the planet.
The next-generation expedition vessel docked in Tasmania on February 14, marking her inaugural call to Australia and concluding a landmark half-circumnavigation of Antarctica.
Sailing from Ushuaia, the vessel traversed rarely visited regions of East Antarctica, including Adélie Land, Wilkes Land, the Shackleton Ice Shelf and Queen Mary Land, before arriving in Hobart.
The milestone underscores Tasmania’s position as a key global gateway to Antarctica and coincides with the unveiling of one of the most ambitious commercial polar voyages ever announced.
PONANT EXPLORATIONS has opened bookings for a full Antarctic Circumnavigation in early 2028, a 62-day, 23,000-kilometre journey that will see Le Commandant Charcot sail around the entire White Continent at the height of the austral summer.
Departing Ushuaia in January 2028, the voyage will unfold in two phases, with a pivotal stopover in Hobart before the vessel continues eastward back to South America.
Guests will navigate some of the most inaccessible coastlines on Earth, including the Ross Sea, the world’s largest marine sanctuary, as well as Charcot Island, Marie Byrd Land, Wilkes Land, Adélie Land and the remote Balleny Islands.
Captain Stanislas Devorsine, one of four captains of Le Commandant Charcot and a veteran of the Southern Ocean, described the Australian debut as a significant personal and professional milestone.
“This is a deeply personal moment for me. I spent many years in Hobart and had the privilege of commanding L’Astrolabe for a decade, at the heart of the long-standing French-Australian collaboration in Antarctica.
“When PONANT EXPLORATIONS launched this project in 2018, I was proud to share my icebreaker experience as Le Commandant Charcot was being designed. To stand here today, on board this extraordinary ship, is truly a fantastic moment,” Captain Devorsine said.
He added that the forthcoming circumnavigation marks a defining chapter in modern polar exploration.
“For more than twenty years, I dreamed of circumnavigating Antarctica. From my earliest days with PONANT EXPLORATIONS, I’ve been deeply connected to that vision.
“Today, seeing Le Commandant Charcot poised to complete a full circumnavigation of the White Continent isn’t just a milestone for us, it’s a turning point in the story of modern polar exploration,” he said.
Delivered in 2021, Le Commandant Charcot is the only passenger vessel in the world with a PC2-class hull, enabling navigation through multi-year ice up to 2.5 metres thick.
Powered by hybrid-electric propulsion using liquefied natural gas, the 245-guest vessel pairs technical capability with a refined onboard experience, including a 1:1 guest-to-crew ratio, gastronomy by Alain Ducasse, and dedicated onboard scientific laboratories supporting research in marine biology and polar ecosystems.
Following her Australian debut, the vessel departed Hobart on February 17, continuing her programme via the French Southern and Antarctic Lands en route to Cape Town.
For luxury travellers seeking the rarest form of expedition cruising, the 2028 circumnavigation represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to retrace the routes of Shackleton, Scott, Amundsen and Jean-Baptiste Charcot, aboard a vessel designed to redefine what is possible in Antarctica.
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Australians are rethinking how and when they travel, with extreme weather, overcrowding and rising awareness of impact reshaping holiday decisions.
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Australians are quietly rewriting the rules of travel, moving away from peak-season getaways and crowded hotspots as climate concerns and changing habits reshape the industry, new research from Booking.com shows.
The 2026 Travel & Sustainability Report reveals that timing and destination are now central to how Australians approach travel, with 42 per cent planning to holiday outside peak periods and 43 per cent actively avoiding overcrowded destinations.
This is not just about comfort. It reflects a broader shift in thinking, where travellers are increasingly aware of their impact on places they visit, with many deliberately trying to reduce pressure on popular destinations.
At the same time, climate is no longer a background consideration. It is shaping decisions in a far more immediate way. Nearly three-quarters of Australians now factor extreme weather into where and when they travel, while more than a quarter have already changed or cancelled trips in the past year due to weather events.
There is also a growing sense that some destinations are becoming less viable altogether. More than half of Australians say certain locations have become too hot to visit at their preferred time of year.
A generational split is emerging
While sustainability is now firmly on the agenda, the report highlights a gap between what travellers say and what they actually do.
Younger Australians tend to express stronger views about sustainable travel, yet it is older travellers who are more likely to follow through with practical actions such as reducing waste, cutting energy use and shopping locally.
That does not mean younger travellers are disengaged. They are more likely to participate in cultural experiences and conservation-focused activities, pointing to a different interpretation of what sustainable travel looks like.
From intention to behaviour
The shift is already playing out in booking patterns. Across the region, more travellers are choosing accommodation with recognised sustainability credentials, and sustainable travel is moving from a niche consideration to a mainstream expectation.
Yet barriers remain. Cost, confusion and a lack of clear information continue to hold some travellers back from making more sustainable choices, suggesting the industry still has work to do in making those options accessible and easy to understand.
For now, the direction is clear. Travel is becoming less about ticking off destinations at peak moments and more about timing, impact and experience.
Or, put more simply, Australians are still travelling, just a little more thoughtfully than before.
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