HX Expeditions makes adventure cruising more accessible HX Expeditions is introducing 57 voyages across 14 destinations worldwide, including 26 new itineraries and two maiden destinations for its 2028-2029 season. The new itineraries are designed to make expedition cruising more accessible. They include Antarctic departures from Stanley in the Falkland Islands – the first by a major cruise company in more than a decade; a new 19-day ‘Antarctica & South Georgia’ cruise; shorter-format expeditions in Alaska and Greenland; HX’s first dedicated Scandinavia programme sailed by Spitsbergen; a 19-day Baffin Island circumnavigation into the Northwest Passage; and nine new ‘Ocean Crossing’ voyages connecting the Arctic and Antarctica. The 2028-2029 season will feature 1,288 ports of call and will see HX Expeditions’ ships travel as far as 81 degrees north and 70 degrees south. The shortest itinerary is six nights, while the longest is 25 nights and covers 6,650 nautical miles. Read more in our interview with Lasse Roebers, head of expedition product at HX Expeditions, on page 54. Photo: HX Expeditions Photo: HX Expeditions Photo: CFIP/Laura Hyde ECN launches Responsible Expedition Framework Expedition Cruise Network (ECN) has launched an industry-first framework to help travel advisors communicate the responsible tourism practices of expedition cruise operators to guests. Drawing on recognised global sustainability principles, the framework evaluates operators annually against six criteria: certifications and external validation; sustainable management and governance; environmental stewardship; community, cultural and destination stewardship; guest education and expedition ethos; and positive impact and conservation contribution. Eleven operators have already completed the voluntary self-assessment: 60South, Aqua Expeditions, Aranui Cruises, Australis Cruises, Golden Galapagos, HX Expeditions, Oceanwide Expeditions, Ponant, Poseidon Expeditions, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours and UnCruise Adventures. “This new framework… will help travel advisors have more informed conversations with their clients while giving participating operators a practical roadmap for continued improvement,” says Akvile Marozaite, ECN’s co-founder and CEO (pictured). DID YOU KNOW? Thousands of guests helped HX Expeditions generate a record 26,491 citizen science contributions across nine research programmes and collect 308.4 kilograms of waste from beaches during 31 Arctic sailings in 2026. 17
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