Just having received an investment from Outdoor Products, China’s polar travel pioneer “Extreme Beauty” officially announced that it will undergo a strategic upgrade in 2015, fully defining and entering the “light adventure and nature travel” market. At a recent media briefing, Zhou Mo, General Manager of Extreme Beauty, joked: “Everyone has an ‘adventurous heart,’ but not everyone has the courage or ability to go on an adventure. The tourism industry should not be limited to providing customers with simple ‘check-in’ services, but rather meet, or even stimulate, their true deep-seated needs — that is, to ‘explore and discover’ the unknown world.”
(“Extreme Beauty” defines “light adventure travel” to drive innovation and upgrade in the tourism industry)
According to Zhou Mo, as China’s first professional organization offering comprehensive commercial travel services to both the North and South Poles, “Extreme Beauty” began exploring the “light adventure” travel model as early as 2008, and gradually introduced and defined domestic standards for “light adventure” polar travel, such as environmental standards, safety assurance, guide deployment, ecological training, and museum-style science courses. Its classic polar travel products include treks to the South Pole and North Pole, ice-breaking expeditions at the North Pole, and small luxury cruises around the Antarctic Peninsula — covering all types of international polar destinations. To date, it has led more than 1,500 domestic and international adventure enthusiasts to the polar regions, over 600 of whom have reached the poles. “Extreme Beauty” is also currently the only professional travel agency in China that is a member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and has been invited to its annual meetings, earning widespread recognition from IAATO, AECO, Chinese scientific institutions, and polar travel enthusiasts.
Based on years of experience operating trips to the North and South Poles, “Extreme Beauty” has developed a set of evaluation criteria and implementation guidelines for “light adventure travel.” Starting in 2014, it also began applying this system to new travel destinations themed around nature, such as the Galápagos Islands, Patagonia, Madagascar, the Amazon, and the Gaoligong Mountains. With comprehensive safeguards for safety and comfort, these trips offer vivid and thrilling “adventure” experiences along with lively natural history courses, enabling travelers to truly immerse themselves and fully enjoy the joy of “exploring and discovering.”
(“Extreme Beauty” defines “light adventure travel” to drive innovation and upgrade in the tourism industry)
As the inaugural project for the full-scale strategic upgrade of “light adventure” beyond the polar regions, “Extreme Beauty” specially launched a Galápagos Islands eco-cruise program during the Spring Festival this year, unveiling this mysterious prehistoric world to Chinese travelers. Located in the equatorial region of South America, the Galápagos Islands feature a diverse climate and unique volcanic landscapes that allow a variety of rare and ancient flora and fauna to thrive in this isolated land. The iconic monster in one of the world’s longest-running film series, “Godzilla,” was inspired by the unique ancient marine iguanas found here. In 1835, Darwin discovered the essence of life here and wrote “On the Origin of Species.”
A project leader at “Extreme Beauty” explained: “During our initial exploratory trip, we found that this place is almost like a biology classroom for European and American high school and university students and nature enthusiasts. They flock here in large numbers every holiday to learn about flora and fauna, study evolution, and even volunteer at the Darwin Research Station. On the other hand, Chinese tourists are extremely rare — so much so that during our more than ten days of exploratory travel, we didn’t encounter any other Chinese people. Now, we hope to lead Chinese travelers in gaining a deeper understanding of this sacred place.”
To ensure safety and comfort, and in line with the standards of “light adventure travel,” “Extreme Beauty” specially booked the renowned small luxury expedition cruise ship “Silver Explorer.” During the day, travelers visit the islands one by one, and in the evenings, they learn and share on board while enjoying the peaceful nights of the equatorial ocean.
(“Extreme Beauty” defines “light adventure travel” to drive innovation and upgrade in the tourism industry)
Industry experts believe that the “light adventure travel” defined by “Extreme Beauty” aims at exploring and discovering the unknown world, guided by natural and cultural elements, and achieved through safe, comfortable means that embody the idea of “traveling ten thousand miles and reading ten thousand books.” It fulfills everyone’s dream of “adventure,” blending world discovery with leisure entertainment, and perfectly aligns with market development needs. After more than 30 years of development, China’s tourism industry still hasn’t moved beyond the basic “check-in” stage. By clearly proposing the “light adventure travel” model, “Extreme Beauty” is set to bring a wave of business innovation and conceptual transformation to the domestic tourism industry. It can guide people to truly understand nature, inspire the inner self, foster personal growth, and thereby return to the essence of travel.
As a leading outdoor brand operator in China’s outdoor industry, Outdoor Products began laying out the strategic construction of an “outdoor ecosystem” in 2014. After acquiring the Green Field Network, it made a strategic investment in “Extreme Beauty” through capital increase, hoping to leverage “Extreme Beauty’s” experience in light adventure in the polar regions to jointly develop the “light adventure and nature travel” market. The investment in “Extreme Beauty” is also intended to elevate the service standards of the comprehensive outdoor travel service platform, serving as a model for improving supplier access systems and service standardization. Regarding “Extreme Beauty’s” strategic transformation, Outdoor Products expressed full support for its exploration of new business models. Sheng Faqiang, Chairman of Outdoor Products, said, “Extreme Beauty has pioneered an era where outdoor culture and activities merge, elevating the spiritual dimension of outdoor sports and sublimating the concept of travel. The ‘light adventure’ market has huge potential for growth. Outdoor Products will fully integrate resources to help ‘Extreme Beauty’ jointly promote the upgrade and development of China’s tourism industry.”