MADRID - TRACKING endangered wildlife in politically troubled, impoverished Zimbabwe might not seem the ideal holiday spot but it's in hot demand in the travel industry's latest niche market - 'tourism of doom'.

The term was coined by sector specialists for the growing number of travellers flocking to far-flung corners of the planet to see endangered natural wonders before they disappear.

'Antarctica blows your mind' THE US market - Africa Albida Tourism's main source of overseas guests - accounted for 4,035 room stays at its properties last year, a nearly three-fold increase over 2004, he added. The popularity of visits to the melting glaciers in the Antarctic has also soared so much that cruises must now be reserved well in advance, Ken Shapiro said. ... more

Ken Shapiro, the editor of TravelAge West, a magazine for travel agents, said the destinations can be melting glaciers, shrinking tropical rain forests or other places these travellers believe will be destroyed in a generation due to climate change, overbuilding or other threats to the environment.

'People are traveling to places because they really are convinced that it is going to change and they want to see it before that change happens,' he told AFP, saying the trend was first spotted about two years ago.

'We see that a lot now, it has actually become much more mainstream.'

Mr Shapiro said travel agents report that clients are increasingly requesting trips to see the melting glaciers of the Antarctic, the threatened coral of Australia's Great Barrier Reef or Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro before it loses its ice cap.

Ross Kennedy, the president of Africa Albida Tourism which took part in the five-day FITUR travel fair that wrapped up on Sunday in Madrid, says the trend towards environmental awareness in travel is boosting business.

'The changing environment that the world is facing does have some relevancy and some people think: 'We have to get this done',' he said.

This logic is partly responsible for a rise in the number of foreign visitors to Africa Albida's safari lodges in Zimbabwe, where the firm operates properties near Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall in the world. The site is well suited as a starting point for safaris along the Zambezi River on Zimbabwe's northern border to see endangered wildlife.

Despite concerns over political unrest, staggering inflation, shortages and a cholera outbreak in Zimbabwe, the company posted a four percent rise in visitors in 2008, Mr Kennedy said. -- AFP