Expedition cruises are providing broad appeal, according to speakers at the third annual Expedition Cruise Network (ECN) Conference, which took place in London, UK, on 29-30 September 2026.
“There are so many different varieties of expedition cruise; it’s not just the age of the guests that’s changing, but also the variety of itineraries on offer,” said Mario Bounas, chief commercial officer for Swan Hellenic Limited, during a panel discussion. “It all depends on what guests’ interests are as there’s now pretty much something for everyone.”
The panel discussion, titled ‘The state of expedition cruising insights’, was moderated by Peter Shanks, former managing director of Silversea Cruises, and featured Bounas, plus Milly Alva Haimberger, global director of sales for Aqua Expeditions; Danielle Bates, head of sales for National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions; and Nathaniel Sherborne, managing director and vice president of Europe and global sales enablement for HX Expeditions. Conversation included insights on destinations, ships and itineraries, as well as how to grow the sector and attract new audiences.
The two-day event began with ECN co-founders Akvile Marozaite and Martin Johnson taking to the stage to welcome delegates. The format was updated this year to cater to travel advisors at different stages of their expedition cruise selling journey. ECN was founded in April 2023 with 11 members now represents more than 30 expedition cruise operator members to a network of over 3,000 travel advisors.
Marine archaeologist Mensun Bound had delegates hanging on every word as he delivered the final presentation of the first day, outlining the role he played in the 2022 discovery of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance beneath the ice-covered waters of the Weddell Sea.
Mensun Bound closed day one with a passionate retelling of his role in the discovery of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance in 2022
He shared unseen footage of the moment the team discovered the ship on the seabed and personal anecdotes from the trip (including a tale of an encounter with a gang of penguins as the team played football on the ice, just as Shackleton and his team had in 1915), as well as the unsuccessful attempt three years prior. A detailed 3D model of the damaged Endurance was available for delegates to see and touch during the two-day conference, courtesy of the Falklands Maritime Heritage Trust.
In the evening, a ceremony for the ECN Awards at Amazing Grace in London, acknowledged the “businesses and individuals making a meaningful impact on the industry” and was divided into two categories: Travel Trade and Operator. HX Expeditions was one of the evening’s biggest winners, receiving four awards: Favourite Expedition Cruise Operator for Polar Regions, Favourite Warm-Water Expedition Cruise Operator, Favourite Responsible Expedition Cruise Operator and the overall Favourite Expedition Cruise Operator award.
Day one of the ECN Conference concluded with the ECN Awards (Photo: ECN)
Ponant was named Favourite Expedition Cruise Operator for Luxury, while Aqua Expeditions received the award for Favourite Micro Expedition Cruise Operator. Heritage Expeditions was recognised as Favourite Specialist Expedition Cruise Operator. Danielle Bates of National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions was named Favourite Expedition Cruise Operator Sales Representative in the UK for the second consecutive year.
Day two began with welcome speeches from Johnson, Daniels and Marozaite, before a panel discussion on ‘The future of expedition cruising: leadership perspectives on the next decade’. The panel consisted of Rémi Bouysset, CEO of Oceanwide Expeditions; Gebhard Rainer, CEO of HX Expeditions; John McKeon, president of Polar Latitudes; and Ragnar Fjölnisson, chief technology officer at Kaptio.
The panel onstage for the ‘The future of expedition cruising: leadership perspectives on the next decade’ discussion (Photo: Laura Hyde)
They discussed what differentiates expedition cruise operators from traditional cruise lines; shifting demographics and operators need to alter their products to accommodate younger guests; the travel advisor challenge of pairing the right guests to the right operator and ship; and shorter itineraries and upcoming destinations. They also discussed how technology can help not only identify new customers who would enjoy an expedition cruise, but also how it can help make the booking process and onboard experience smoother.
“Guys like me don’t understand what [technology companies] are doing, but I know what they’re doing is essential for the future,” said McKeon.
Attendees were presented with the results of the second annual consumer survey of readers of Wanderlust, which revealed seven per cent of readers of the travel publication were still unaware of what expedition cruising is, while 46 per cent were somewhat familiar. The survey also revealed of those readers who had been on an expedition cruise, 70 per cent said the experience exceeded their expectations, with 43 per cent visiting Antarctica (up from 30 per cent in 2025). Respondents said they wanted to visit Arctic/Svalbard (36 per cent), Greenland (34 per cent), the Canadian Arctic/Northwest Passage (31 per cent) and Antarctica (30 per cent) on their next expedition cruise. For those who haven’t yet been on an expedition cruise, 65 per cent said they would like to do so within the next five years.
Delegates then heard from McKeon and Felix Hamer, head of sustainability at HX Expeditions, on how expedition cruising can be ‘a force for good’. They discussed citizen science projects and how the data collected is invaluable to scientific researchers and organisations; how engaging with local communities leaves a positive impact on the destinations ship’s visit; and the success of implementing ‘slow down’ zones (where ships can travel no faster than 10 knots) in Antarctica, which is guesstimated to have help avoid over 1,000 whale and seal strikes.
Hamer also discussed HX Expeditions’ partnership with SOOP, which involves integrating specialised scientific instruments onboard ships (currently being piloted on Fridtjof Nansen) to gather data on an array of oceanographic variables including water temperature, oxygen levels, carbon dioxide concentration and microplastics.
Marozaite took to the stage to officially launch the ECN Responsible Expedition Framework, an industry-first initiative designed to help travel advisors understand and communicate the responsible tourism practices of expedition cruise operators to their guests.
Dr Antonia Ward, chief futurist at Stylus, a global consumer trends and forecasting company, closed the event with a keynote address looking to the future and how travellers will discover, research, book and experience travel in the years ahead. Ward shared insights on the changing expectations of expedition cruise guests and how travel advisors can position themselves for success in the years to come.
There were also numerous networking opportunities and one-to-one meetings for delegates throughout the two-day event.