Expedition cruising is the fastest-growing sector of the cruise industry right now. During CLIA Cruise Month’s Expeditions Week, we share the latest news and intel you need to inspire your adventure-seeking clients.
The stats for expedition cruising speak for themselves: according to CLIA, the number of passengers sailing on expedition itineraries increased 71 per cent from 2019 to 2023.
“Expedition cruising has become one of the most exciting areas in travel – we’re seeing an enormous amount of innovation around new ships and new itineraries,” said Joel Katz, CLIA Australasia’s Managing Director.
“Travellers are hungry for unspoilt locations and cultural authenticity, and many are looking to these journeys as a way to discover destinations that might have previously seemed out of reach.
“An expedition cruise allows you to visit untouched wilderness and pristine landscapes in comfort and with ease, sailing in style aboard a smaller vessel. It’s an incredible experience,” said Katz.
Small ships, big business
A recent Travel Market Report, sponsored by HX Hurtigruten Expeditions, underlined what many savvy travel advisors are experiencing.
“Even if the number of clients booking an expedition cruise is smaller than in other segments, it can contribute to a larger share of overall sales …and those who have focused on the segment have been rewarded by not only big commissions but an exciting, stable stream of business.”
Julie O’Grady, CLIA Cruise Master and founder of Exclusively Cruising in Healesville, Victoria agrees. “Expedition cruising is a large part of our business and one we are passionate about,” she says.
“It’s also one of the biggest areas for growth in the cruise sector, so being up to date with what’s happening and the product being offered is essential.
“Cruise Month forms a large part of our marketing for October, with the tool kit supplied by CLIA and additional promotional activities by CLIA cruise lines. We make the most of the CLIA training leading up to Cruise Month and the additional sessions offered during the month.”
Exclusively Cruising is a member of The Small Ship Collective, a marketing and technology platform established in 2021 by Cruise Traveller, a Queensland-based company that has specialised in small-ship and expedition cruising for 20 years.
The Collective is designed to “offer the technology, support and expertise to enable small ship booking sales to become an important and profitable part of your business” and offers a range of services, discounts and access to product training.
The world’s expedition cruising fleet
Lindblad Expeditions was the first line to take passengers, rather than researchers and scientists, to Antarctica – and that was back in 1966. Today, there are 99 purpose-designed ships in the world’s expedition cruise fleet, operated by more than 20 cruise lines (including the much-expanded Lindblad Expeditions).
Home-grown expedition-cruise companies include Australia’s Aurora Expeditions, Chimu Adventures, Coral Expeditions, On Board Expeditions, Scenic and True North, and New Zealand’s Heritage Expeditions.
International lines of varying sizes include Adventure Canada, Albatros, Aqua Expeditions, Aranui, Atlas Ocean Voyages, G Adventures, Hapag-Lloyd, Hebridean Island Cruises, HX Hurtigruten Expeditions, Peregrine, Ponant, Quark, Seabourn, Silversea, Swan Hellenic and UnCruise Adventures.
High-profile companies such as APT and Abercrombie & Kent charter ships on an exclusive basis for luxury expedition cruises worldwide.
Some vessels offer ultra-luxe suites and world-class dining, some are equipped with helicopters and mini-submarines, and some are more basic, but what expedition cruises have in common is a focus on exploration and discovery.
Teams of experts such as marine biologists, ornithologists, historians, geologists lead shore excursions, and onboard they present lectures and detailed briefings and recaps.
It’s not all penguins and polar bears
In August, Karryon Luxury spoke with Conrad Combrink, Silversea’s Senior VP Expeditions Destination & Itinerary Management, when he was in Australia for Cruise 360.
He said that while the Polar regions and the Galapagos Islands are “probably the catalyst for a lot of people to take an expedition cruise, once they are in the expedition cruising ‘ecosystem’ they want to explore other destinations by ship.
“And that’s where expedition cruises in the Indian Ocean, West Africa, the Kimberley, the Pacific, Indonesia and many more places really, really shine,” Combrink added.
We’re talking about places such as Northern Europe, the Scottish isles, Scandinavia, South and Central America, North America’s Great Lakes, Alaska, French Polynesia, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and Melanesia.
Some expedition lines sail in the Mediterranean and Caribbean, providing cultural and historic perspectives in destinations inaccessible to larger ships.
Looking ahead
New expedition ships due to launch in the next two years include Aurora Expeditions’ third vessel, the 180-guest Douglas Mawson (August 2025); Atlas Ocean Voyages’ 200-guest World Adventurer and sister ship World Discoverer (2026 and 2027); and Antarctica21’s 96-guest, hybrid-electric ship Magellan Discoverer (September 2026).
Ponant’s boutique, 30-guest Paspaley Pearl will set sail in East Indonesia in January 2025, moves to the Kimberley in April for the season, and then to Papua New Guinea from October to December.
And in an interesting twist on the trend of high-end hotel brands launching luxury yachts, Silversea recently announced it is building a luxury hotel in Puerto Williams, Chile for guests sailing to Antarctica. The 150-room hotel is scheduled to open at the end of 2025; guests will fly from Santiago to Puerto Williams before boarding Silver Endeavour, Silver Cloud or Silver Wind for Antarctica voyages ranging from six to 20 days.
For more information on expedition cruising, visit cruising.org.au
