Australia key for Hurtigruten

HURTIGRUTEN Cruises continues to go from strength to strength in the local market, with the company’s Asia Pacific MD, Damian Perry, confirming that about a quarter of Hurtigruten’s global passenger numbers for its Antarctica operations are now sourced in Australia & NZ.

Speaking at a special event for VIP trade partners in Melbourne, Perry noted that Hurtigruten Expeditions is the world’s largest operator to the frozen continent.

“In the season that just finished, 25% of all our guests came from Australia,” Perry confirmed.

“And I think that will continue to grow,” he added, with Hurtigruten continuing to expand Antarctica capacity with a fourth ship operating in the region.

Yesterday’s gathering, which included senior representatives from Helloworld, Flight Centre, CruiseHQ, Imagine Holidays, Express Travel Group, APT and more, saw Hurtigruten reaffirm its commitment to the travel trade, with Perry alongside Marketing Director Joel Victoria and the company’s Head of Sales Amber Wilson all pledging to work with key partners.

They confirmed budgets were shifting from direct channels into B2B, saying that the trade is critical to achieving ambitious growth targets.

Hurtigruten is significantly evolving its brand proposition, with the longstanding Hurtigruten Norway coastal cruising operation set to invite guests to “Live the Legend of Norway”.

Separately the HX Hurtigruten Expeditions brand will focus on helping passengers “change the way you see the world” as part of aspirations to be the “number one sustainable expedition brand in the world”. BP

More from Hurtigruten in today’s issue of Cruise Weekly.