Hurtigruten Expeditions will be renamed HX in a global rebrand launching in December.
Hurtigruten Group divided its operations into Hurtigruten Expeditions and Hurtigruten Norway in 2021 as it sought to “enhance operational and commercial autonomy for each business”.
The group has now said it wants to “evolve” its expedition product with a rebrand which will see it become HX at the end of the year, while Hurtigruten Norway will drop its Norway suffix and operate as Hurtigruten.
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The new HX logo and branding will be visible on brochures, websites and social channels from December, while livery painting on the fleet’s six ships will take place over the next 18 months.
In a Travel Weekly webcast, Hurtigruten Group chief executive Daniel Skjeldam said the new branding will “elevate” the expedition product, while “telling consistent stories” on both arms of the company.
“Over the last few years our expedition fleet has grown a lot, but people still refer to us only as Hurtigruten, even though Hurtigruten Expeditions is evolving into a very different product than Hurtigruten Norway,” he said.
“The two are different when it comes to the product they deliver to the guests, different on the source markets and different on the distribution.
“We want to create brands for both that can elevate those companies on the journey ahead.”
While commission levels will remain the same for the Norway product, Hurtigruten Group plans to increase commission for agents on the HX brand in addition to boosting educational and ship visit opportunities, as Skjeldam emphasised the importance of the trade to its expedition product.
He predicted experiential travel will grow in the coming years and encouraged both experienced expedition cruise sellers and new-to-cruise agents to engage with the line.
“We want to onboard travel partners who have not historically sold a lot of cruises but can be very good partners on expedition cruises,” he said.
“We also want to incentivise the agents who sell the most which will involve much closer cooperation with fam trips and the opportunity to see the product.”
He added: “Expedition cruising is a fantastic segment of the cruising space that we want to introduce to more guests with the help of travel advisors.”