HX is determined to make booking its expedition cruises “effortless”, by placing advisors at the heart of the expedition cruise line’s decision-making process.

In Australia and New Zealand, the trade accounts for around 70 percent of HX bookings – one of the highest B2B shares of any of its markets globally.

But, with expedition cruising more of a challenging sell, removing the barriers to clinching a sale is crucial to help sales grow. In line with this, the cruise line has implemented a number of measures.

In March, the expedition cruise line confirmed it would shift to an all-inclusive model, which was implemented in October – a development that came in response to agent feedback.

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The decision to split HX from Hurtigruten, which took effect on 1 November, was also driven largely by a desire to make it easier for the trade to sell both products.

The former “convoluted” set-up made it difficult to maximise the potential of both businesses, according to CEO, Gebhard Rainer.

“As of 1 November, each company is clearly focused on what they do best. There is going to be a lot more clarity as to what each company’s purpose is,” Rainer said at a HX event in Sydney on Tuesday night.

“That clarity and focus will help really establish us and reinforce the fact that we are the oldest expedition company and the leader in delivering sustainability, science and education coupled with comfort.”

Price is another major consideration for HX with the cruise line seeking to increase the cost of a voyage as demand grows, according to Chief Commercial Officer, Alex Delamere-White.

“Prices should be even higher than they are and higher prices means better commission,” he said.

“The great news is that we’re already on a journey to doing that. Our prices are higher than they were last year and actually our prices for 2026 are already looking stronger than ’25.”

Working closely with the trade to tell HX’s story “better than we have done before” is crucial to this strategy, he continued. “Because then people will be willing to pay for what is a life-changing experience.”

Education plays a central role to this, with HX confirming a new agent education program is in the works and is slated for release next year.

If the cruise line succeeds in raising prices and upping capacity, then HX can start to look at adding new ships to its existing fleet of five.

Fresh destinations are already within its sights. While the cruise line already visits the Galapagos, Delamere-White hinted that other warmer water areas are of interest.

But he stressed that there is still so much to discover in the destinations it already visits. The cruise line is continually innovating around the Arctic Circle and the Antarctic, for example its recent announcement it would partner with Air Greenland to fly guests to the island for its 2025 cruises.

Lead image: HX’s visiting executive team, from left are: Gebhard Rainer, CEO; Chloe Couchman, Executive VP of Communications and Alex Delamere-White, Chief Commercial Officer.