The 10-night Antarctica Peninsula expedition departed on 3 January onboard Ocean Albatros and saw the operator tailor its onboard services and expedition programme to better meet the needs of Muslim travellers.
The concept took years to develop and was spearheaded by Rashidah Lim, Polar Latitudes' former expedition leader and now Director of Sales for Asia Pacific. As the first Singaporean Muslim and Asian woman to lead expeditions to the polar regions, Lim identified an underserved market after seeing how expedition cruises already catered to the needs of other specialist groups.
"When I was working on the ships, I worked with a lot of specialised groups from China and India," Lim told TTG. "They had certain food and service requirements. I thought it's a shame that we didn't have anything catering to the Muslim community. It felt like a missed opportunity and a barrier preventing people from going to Antarctica, hence our first voyage was launched catering to the market."
To accommodate the group, Polar Latitudes served halal-certified meals throughout the voyage while keeping its standard menu largely unchanged, complemented by additional vegetarian options. The sailing also introduced gendered sauna and hot tub sessions, expanded its range of non-alcoholic drinks and mocktails, and created a dedicated outdoor space for Friday prayers while the ship was at anchor in Antarctica.
The line created a dedicated outdoor area for Friday prayers onboard Ocean Albatross
The operator also increased the number of female expedition staff, creating an approximately 50/50 gender split across the team to help guests feel more comfortable during shore landings and excursions.
Craig Upshall, Director of Retail Sales at Polar Latitudes, said the sailing demonstrated that expedition cruising could become more accessible without compromising the experience.
"We've shown that guests can enjoy an authentic polar expedition while travelling in a way that reflects their faith and preferences," he said. "There's a real gap in the market, and we're excited to help fill it."
The initiative forms part of a wider investment in halal tourism, with Polar Latitudes planning to expand its presence across the Middle East, India and Asia while working with specialist trade partners including the Halal Travel Network.
Halal tourism is projected to be worth $548 billion by 2035, with Pakistan, Bosnia and the UK cited as "growing" markets for Muslim travellers at the Halal Travel Network's summer event this year.
Although the sailings have yet to be officially launched, Polar Latitudes has already begun promoting the Svalbard departure to previous Antarctica guests and has received interest from two group bookings.
Following the success of the Antarctica departure, the operator is preparing to launch an all-halal expedition cruise to Svalbard from 14-20 June 2027, with a second Antarctica sailing also planned.
