Lindblad Expeditions, owner of co-branded National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, has launched a UK travel advisory board to help grow sales through the trade.
The group was flagged by Head of UK Sales Danielle Bates earlier this year when Linblad invited agents to experience its ship Endurance when it sailed into London for one night.
It is made up of travel professionals, including Panache Cruises CEO James Cole, Wildfoot Travel Commercial Director James Turner, Mundy Cruising Marketing Director Alex Loizou, Fred. Olsen Travel Director of Retail Paul Hardwick and ATAS Director Claire Brighton.
The group will serve as a sounding board for Lindblad Expeditions’ commercial team. They will discuss concepts for new expeditions, marketing strategies and sales support tools.
“Lindblad Expeditions is a ‘founded by family’ business and we want to create this same feeling of family with our agent community in the UK,” said Danielle.
“The introduction of the Advisory Board is our first step towards doing this and I’m confident that our founding members will play a crucial role in guiding our growth in the UK and navigating the evolving expedition travel market.”
There will be four virtual meetings per year as well as one in-person event, the first of which will take place in London on 2 October 2025.
To enable them to experience the cruise line and understand the product, each board member, plus a guest, has been offered an expedition cruise to either the Galapagos, Antarctica or the Arctic.
“Our partners in the UK have been instrumental in growing our presence in one of the most dynamic travel markets in the world,” said Senior Vice President of Sales, Lindblad Expeditions Kathi Riddle. “By establishing this board, we are deepening our investment in the region and ensuring we’re listening closely to the people who know this market best – our trusted travel advisor community.”
