Lars-Eric Lindblad is an almost legendary figure in international travel, having pioneered tourism to many remote and exotic parts of the world. He led the first tourist expedition to Antarctica in 1965, and for many years operated his own vessel, the Lindblad Explorer, in the region. This is his 28th year in the South Polar Seas. A noted environmentalist who believes tourism has been responsible for saving many threatened areas, Lindblad has been honored by the King of Sweden and by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, and has also received numerous environmental and cultural awards, served on the council of the World Wildlife Fund and African Wildlife Foundation, and was elected to the Hall of Fame of the American Society of Travel Agents. His autobiography, Passport to Anywhere, describes his many adventurous travel experiences.
[...] Lindblad also pioneered cruising to the Arctic, Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, the Seychelles and islands east of Bali. He also planned the first voyage by a tourist ship through the Northwest Passage. In opening remote and exotic areas of the world to tourism, Lindblad has always been mindful of the need to safeguard the environment, and he has been widely recognized as the father of eco-tourism. Last year, Travel & Leisure magazine named him one of the "top 20 explorers of all time" - a group that included Marco Polo and Christopher Columbus.
This really is a shame. Lars-Eric seemed like a very energetic, very active gentleman when we saw him on this cruise. He seemed prepared to continue an active life for many years to come. I was very surprised to hear this news.