National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions hopes to grow its UK business by 160% within the next three years.
Specialist line Lindblad Expeditions co-branded with National Geographic last year and six months ago partnered with Fred. Holidays as its UK GSA.
Danielle Bates joined as its first Head of UK Sales in October and has been working to showcase the brand to the trade.
She explained: “The past few months have been about creating brand awareness with key agents and operators now that we are in the UK market. We have also joined the Association of Touring and Adventure Suppliers (ATAS), which felt like a natural fit for us.
“We are only in year one, so we have big targets. We are looking to grow our overall business 160% in the next three years, and the growth through the trade is a huge part of that. It’s currently around an 80-20 split (in favour of agents), which is phenomenal. The UK market is small, but the sky is the limit.
“The response from the industry has been great and doing trade-facing events is invaluable to us.”
Earlier this week National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions held an event for 25 operators and agents, and plans to host a fam trip to Iceland for eight agents in July.
Danielle will also be offering in-person and virtual training sessions, and there is a trade-focused agent Facebook page, which will be updated with news and offers.
The company has a fleet of 22 ships that offer cruises in destinations, including Antarctica, the Arctic, the Galapagos, Iceland, Indonesia and the Mediterranean.
Danielle said: “One of our biggest opportunities is of course the Galapagos where we have four ships, and we have just released a new brochure specific to the region.”
She added one of the line’s expedition leaders, Emma Ridley, has recently relocated from the Galapagos to London and will be working alongside her to bring the region to life for agents. “Emma is going to be a massive selling tool for us – she really brings that authentic experience of life in the Galapagos and will add that extra dynamic when we are talking to agents.”
