Download the full report here

• The Expedition Cruise Network (ECN) has published the inaugral Expedition Cruise Network Insights Report 2023/2024, spanning UK sales trends, intelligence, challenges and predictions
• Seven in ten expedition cruise operators grew business in 2023
• Sustainability tops all major trends for next five years

The Expedition Cruise Network has published the inaugural Expedition Cruise Network Insights Report 2023/2024, providing a unique deep dive into the fastest growing area of the cruise industry. The report combines two sets of data from travel trade professionals and expedition cruise operators, taken between October and November 2023, to give crucial insight into the current state of expedition cruise and indications of future trends.

Key findings from the Expedition Cruise Insights Report include:

SEVEN IN TEN EXPEDITION CRUISE TRADE OPERATORS SAY BUSINESS GREW THIS YEAR

• Responses from both the expedition cruise operator members and the travel trade reveal the sector is growing significantly. Almost all (98%) of travel trade respondents said their expedition cruise business has grown or stayed the same in 2023.

 SUSTAINABILITY IS THE MAJOR EXPEDITION CRUISE TREND FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS

• The three biggest trends expedition cruise operator members named all relate to sustainability. 71% of expedition cruise operators say sustainability will play a bigger role in consumer choice, with 71% also believing that ships and expedition cruise operators need to improve their environmental practises and footprint.

 AFRICA IS THE DESTINATION MOST IN DEMAND FROM THE TRAVEL TRADE

• Thirty-nine per cent of travel trade respondents named Africa (West and East) as an expedition cruise destination they want to see further developed with more trips being offered in the future. The range of new destinations demonstrate that there is an enormous appetite among the travel trade to be able to sell new regions.

 OVER HALF OF TRAVEL TRADE RESPONDENTS SAY THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF EXPEDITION CRUISE IS LACKING

• There is a need to up-skill travel agents on the expedition cruise sector, including knowledge on the range of destinations, operators, and products. For a high value product, such as expedition cruise, agents need to understand the nuances of the sector to secure sales.

 HX HURTIGURTEN EXPEDITIONS IS THE MOST SOLD EXPEDITION CRUISE OPERATOR ACCORDING TO THE UK TRAVEL TRADE

• HX Hurtigruten Expeditions is sold by 64% of the travel trade respondents, closely followed by Silversea Expeditions (61%), Seabourn Expeditions (43%) and Ponant (40%). Overall, the market share remains incredibly diverse, with 18 companies seeing their product sold by at least 10% of travel trade respondents.

 Akvile Marozaite, CEO of the Expedition Cruise Network says:

“We are delighted to publish the Expedition Cruise Insights Report 2023/2024, which gives travel trade professionals and operators insight into the current state of the sector and how we can overcome the challenges the industry faces together.

“Expedition Cruising is a key travel trend. The sector has experienced steep growth in both consumer demand and capacity over the past few years and in 2024 we will begin to see more mature growth with a pressing impetus on sustainability. But the future is bright. Many of our expedition cruise operator members are innovators in pioneering measures to protect the remote, fragile environments and local communities we all hold so dearly. 

“We set up the Expedition Cruise Network this year following two years of the sector doubling in size and a rising demand from expedition cruise operators for an authentic, trustworthy, and authoritative voice in the sector. The inaugural insights report, combining information from voices across the sector plays a key role in helping understand how to best promote expedition cruising as an incredible choice for travellers from around the world”.

The full report can be downloaded here

ENDS

Media contact: expeditioncruise@wearelotus.co.uk

About The Expedition Cruise Network

The Expedition Cruise Network is the voice of the expedition cruise sector and brings together expedition cruise operator members with travel trade businesses. Launched in April 2023, the Expedition Cruise Network now has 18 expedition cruise line members: AE Expeditions, Albatros Expeditions, Australis Expeditions, Hapag Lloyd Cruises, Heritage Expeditions, HX Hurtigruten Expeditions, Intrepid, Latin Trails, Lindblad Expeditions, PONANT, Quark Expeditions, Seabourn, Silversea, Swan Hellenic, UnCruise Adventures, Metropolitan Touring, Polar Latitudes, Oceanwide Expeditions.

There are now over 900 Expedition Cruise Network travel trade members including travel agents, tour operators, travel designers, product, marketing and professionals supporting sales of expedition cruises.

For more information, please see - https://www.expeditioncruisenetwork.com/home

Media contact: expeditioncruise@wearelotus.co.uk