Lars-Eric Lindblad facts for kids
Lars-Eric Lindblad (born January 23, 1927 – died July 8, 1994) was an amazing explorer and businessman from Sweden and the United States. He was one of the first people to create special trips for tourists to far-off and exciting places around the world. In 1966, he led the very first tourist trip to Antarctica on a ship. For many years, his own ship, the MS Lindblad Explorer, took people on adventures to this icy continent. Many people believe his 1969 trip to Antarctica started the sea-based tourism we see there today.
About Lars-Eric Lindblad
Lars-Eric Lindblad was born in 1927 in Solna, a town north of Stockholm, Sweden. He moved to the United States in 1951 and later became an American citizen.
Lindblad was a pioneer in travel. He started cruises to the Arctic and places like Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. He also opened up travel to beautiful islands like the Seychelles and islands east of Bali. In 1984, he led the first trip by a tourist ship through the Northwest Passage. This famous journey went from Newfoundland across North America, through the Bering Strait, and ended in Yokohama, Japan. The trip took 40 days and covered about 16,520 kilometers (10,265 miles). News channels in North America and Europe reported on this big adventure.
For over 30 years, Lindblad was the head of his company, Lindblad Travel, in Westport, Connecticut. His company helped introduce tourism to some of the most unique places on Earth. This included cruises to Antarctica in 1966, and trips to Easter Island and the Galápagos Islands in 1967. They also offered tours along the coast of China and to Bhutan in 1978. Many of these places did not have any special facilities for visitors in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when Lindblad Travel was just starting. In 1972, one of his company's ships, the MV Explorer, got stuck in Antarctica. The passengers, including Lars-Eric Lindblad himself, were rescued by the Chilean Navy.
Lindblad Travel stopped its operations in 1989. Around that time, the company faced challenges for offering tours to Vietnam and Cambodia. At the time, the United States had rules against trade with these countries. Lars-Eric Lindblad later said that these issues contributed to his company closing down. He believed that travel was a way for people to communicate and understand each other. He famously said, "Travel in my opinion is not ordinary trade. Travel is a way of communication. To embargo travel is like burning books or imprisoning journalists." Just a few years later, in 1992, the rules against Cambodia were lifted. In 1994, President Bill Clinton also lifted the rules against Vietnam, allowing many American companies to offer tours there.
Lindblad was also a strong supporter of protecting the environment. He believed that by bringing tourists to remote and beautiful places, he was actually helping to save them. Because he opened up these areas to visitors, he became known as an important person in ecotourism. He received the Order of the Golden Ark from the Netherlands for his work in wildlife conservation. In 1987, the King of Sweden made him a Knight of the Polar Star. He also received many other awards for his environmental and cultural efforts. He was part of the council for the World Wildlife Fund and the African Wildlife Foundation. He was also chosen for the Hall of Fame of the American Society of Travel Agents. In 1993, Travel & Leisure magazine called him one of the "top 20 explorers of all time." In 1995, a place in Antarctica called Lindblad Cove was named after him. He wrote a book about his many exciting travel experiences called Passport to Anywhere.
Lars-Eric Lindblad lived for many years in Wilton, Connecticut. He passed away from a sudden heart attack in 1994 while on vacation in Stockholm.
See also
In Spanish: Lars-Eric Lindblad para niños
