With the initial signs of HX’s switch to an all-inclusive model already looking promising, the expedition cruise line says it is prepared for its competitors to follow in its tracks.

The switch only took effect in October, but already HX is pleased with its impact. “We’re monitoring the data of course, both in terms of the change in habits from a consumption perspective but also as to what the impact is from a booking simplicity perspective. And so far, everything is very positive,” CEO Gebhard Rainer told LATTE. “It’s all pointing in the right direction, but it’s early days.”

The decision to switch to the all-inclusive model had been informed by consumer research undertaken by HX around 12 months ago which revealed additional charges as one of the major barriers for travellers when considering an expedition cruise, he explained.

“They wanted the comfort and the confidence of knowing that there won’t be any hidden charges in addition to the price they’re paying,” he said. Now, there are only a couple of experiences that carry an additional surcharge such as camping.

But it was also largely driven by the company’s desire to remove as many barriers to booking for the trade as possible – a mission that also saw it separate from parent company Hurtigruten to provide greater clarity around its offering.

With the shift to all-inclusive announced in March, HX had six months to get the message out to the trade before it kicked off in October. This involved a media campaign as well as a “big push” in terms of education and training for the trade.

“We’ve established a dedicated global sales enablement team serving all of our markets globally and we’ve made a lot of progress in terms of training assets that we’re providing to our travel advisors, making it as easy as possible,” Chief Commercial Officer Alex Delamere-White added.

“We think the message is getting out there. We know that with the trade, you have to repeat your message and that takes time, but we think we’re well progressed on that.”

To date, the feedback has been positive with the shift “hugely well received”, according to Rainer.

“Travel advisors have been incredibly positive about the new all-inclusive and it’s just helping us to tell the HX story.”

With such a strong response from the market already, it seems inevitable that other expedition cruise companies will follow suit. But Rainer insisted that HX’s emphasis on providing a “truly all-inclusive” product would be difficult for others to emulate.

“Our intent here is to be pure – to enhance our product from a differentiation point of view with the most inclusions,” he said.

“It’s not going to be easy for everybody else to do the same thing because it really boils down to cost management, how to apply it and understand what the consumption behaviours of guests and customers are. That’s a very big part of all-inclusive – really understanding the path as to how a customer applies himself in an all-inclusive environment.”

This is something that Rainer understands better than most having come from a background in hospitality including eight years at Sandals, a Jamaican operator of all-inclusive couples resorts in the Caribbean. This experience will help set the cruise line apart as it ventures down this new path, he believes.

“There are a lot of similarities and learnings that I can bring across as we move into being all-inclusive,” he said. “We’re talking about consistency from a training point of view, consistency in execution and products.

“I will pass on my experience there. I think it’s a huge advantage for us and I’m 100% convinced that we will get it right.”