By
Kasturi Datta |
Once considered a niche form of travel for intrepid explorers, expedition cruising is evolving at pace and becoming more mainstream.
“The growing number of operators and newer, more luxurious ships are attracting the attention of a more varied clientele,” says Akvile Marozaite, CEO and co-founder of Expedition Cruise Network (ECN), which represents 30 expedition cruise operators and more than 2,400 travel advisors. “The travel trade is seeing more enquiries from retired couples and high-end, luxury clients, so there’s definitely more scope to attract travellers within these groups who may never have considered expedition cruising as an appealing way to explore the world.”
Destinations are becoming more diverse too. “Cold-water regions are still the most popular places for expedition cruises but early findings from the travel advisor pulse study we’re conducting suggest there’s increasing consumer interest in warm-weather destinations like the Kimberley Coast in Australia,” says Marozaite. “This supports trends outlined in the ECN 2025 Industry Insights Report. The definition of expedition cruising is also expanding. More companies are offering cultural expeditions or sailing to destinations that would traditionally be found on ocean cruise itineraries.”
This rapid diversification can sometimes present a challenge for travel advisors as they keep pace with new entrants to the market and an increasingly diverse range of expedition products. “This is particularly true when explaining the price and value of an expedition cruise in destinations traditionally served by ocean cruise ships,” says Marozaite. “As more expedition cruise operators enter the market or expand their fleets in heavily regulated destinations, it can also be difficult for advisors to identify each operator’s unique selling points and communicate them clearly to the right clients.”
ECN has developed targeted training to help travel advisors overcome these barriers and ensure a lack of education doesn’t hinder the growth of the sector.
“We’re creating new courses for travel advisors to take via our ECN Academy,” says Marozaite. “We’re also hosting small-scale training bootcamps, where travel advisors spend the day learning about a particular destination or products from multiple expedition cruise operators.”
Travel advisors will be able to learn directly from expedition cruise operators during panel sessions and interactive workshops at ECN’s annual conference, which will take place in London, UK, on 29-30 September 2026. ECN has updated the conference format for this year, separating content across two days to cater to travel advisors at different stages of their expedition cruise selling journey.
“Sessions and workshops on day one will help new and intermediate expedition cruise sellers learn practical sales techniques and gain knowledge about destinations and suppliers,” says Marozaite. “Day two is aimed at more experienced expedition specialists and will explore the trends shaping the sector, emerging destinations, responsible tourism and commercial opportunities.”
Senior representatives from expedition cruise brands including Aranui, HX Expeditions, Oceanwide Expeditions, Silversea and UnCruise Adventures will share insights in panel discussions. “Attendees will hear directly from the expedition cruise operators and there will be networking opportunities and one-to-one business meetings,” says Marozaite. “The conference is going to be even more interactive than in the past, and we’ve planned some fun activities and inspirational talks from our keynote speakers, marine archaeologist Mensun Bound and Dr Antonia Ward, chief futurist at trend forecasting firm Stylus.”
ECN members such as Australis Expeditions take guests to cold-water destinations like Patagonia (Photo: Rafa Pérez)
ECN also plans to unveil one of its biggest projects to date at the conference. “I can’t share too much yet but it will be focused on increasing and promoting sustainability in the sector,” says Marozaite.
The project is just one part of ECN’s strategy to take a more active role in shaping the responsible growth of the expedition cruise industry.
“We’re in the unique position of having both expedition cruise operators and travel trade advisors as members, so we want to gather their insights to help us track what’s going on in the sector,” says Marozaite. “We want ECN to be the go-to trusted resource for anyone wanting to learn everything there is to know about expedition cruising.”
To help it achieve this goal, ECN partnered with the Adventure Travel Trade Association in August 2026.
“When we asked our cruise line members what they consider to be a fundamental part of expedition cruising, they all mentioned that they see it as a form of adventure travel,” says Marozaite. “ATTA members’ products, services and expertise complement expedition cruising, so we want to create opportunities for our respective members to share insights and best practices. We’re hoping to develop educational initiatives, conduct shared research, provide industry insights and host joint events, all while jointly supporting sustainable tourism practices.”
For Marozaite, this new partnership is just one sign of how far the expedition cruise industry has grown since ECN launched in 2023.
“Three years ago the sector still felt quite niche – now it seems like everyone is talking about expedition cruising!” says Marozaite. “It’s a fantastic time to be involved in the sector and support both our cruise line and travel trade partners as they grow responsibly.”
Discover more insights from experts across the expedition cruising sector and more interviews in the Autumn/Winter 2026 issue of Cruise & Ferry Review. To get content like this on a regular basis, subscribe to the print editions or free digital editions of our Cruise & Ferry publications.