Where else can you go if you're a person with means and have travelled to pretty much every destination on earth?

Antarctica, of course.

For many wealthy Chinese, Antarctica has become the ultimate destination, as no other spot holds the same allure of geographical isolation, exoticism, and of course, bragging rights.

More Chinese visiting the Antarctica

The high cost of traveling to Antarctica -- the average Chinese polar tourist spends RMB250,00 (S$51,150) on a trip -- is doing little to discourage thousands from visiting each year.

Since trips were first approved for Chinese tourists in 2007, about 13,000 of them have made the journey.

Chinese visitors to the region have increased more than any nationality.

From fewer than 100 in 2008, the number of Chinese tourists to Antarctica has grown overwhelmingly to over 5,000 in the 2016 to 2017 tourist season alone.

Antarctic tourism is still dominated by visitors from the United States, however, followed by travellers from Australia, China, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

And the number is set to rise.

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China's ambitions extend to the poles

Since 2013, China has identified the polar regions as one of the country's new strategic frontiers.

Beijing's new five-year plan at the Communist Party Congress in 2017 includes plans from the government to invest huge amounts of money in projects towards the exploration of the poles.

Can Antarctica cope with mass tourism?

There's still room for more tourists, but the situation has to be monitored.

Tour operators have to follow very strict guidelines laid by the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), such as not allowing more than 100 people to be on shore at any one landing point at any one time.

Visitors also have to abide by strict rules once on land, such as leaving the penguins and dolphins alone.

Top image via Getty Images