Further evidence has emerged that there is strong pent up demand for cruises as Hurtigruten Group, the Norwegian expedition and coastal express shipping company, said bookings for 2022 are well ahead of those in 2019, before the Covid 19 pandemic, for the following year.
“Across Hurtigruten Expeditions, the world’s largest expedition cruise company, and Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express, bookings for 2022 are currently 45% ahead of bookings for 2020 as of the same time in 2019,” the company said in a statement.
The Coastal Express service runs along the west coast of Norway between Bergen and Kirkenes, with several ports of call en route. While it is a popular cruise product, its main purpose is to serve the various communities along the coast.
“There is a huge pent-up demand for travel, and we see a substantial and growing demand for authentic adventure travel. After a very challenging year and a half for the entire travel industry, we are extremely excited about our step-by-step return to operations,” said Hurtigruten Group CEO Daniel Skjeldam, in the statement.
While bookings for 2022 are already well ahead of the pre-pandemic levels, recent positive news on travel restrictions being lifted and the introduction of vaccine passports to ease international travel has further accelerated bookings over the past 30 days, the company noted.
“Over the years, we have seen a trend that travelers seek out truly unique travel experiences, with an extreme increase in demand for the type of small ships / big experiences adventure travel we offer. But the pandemic has dramatically pushed this development forward,” added Skjeldam.
“Companies offering unique and more sustainable experiences – such as small-ship expedition cruises – are perfectly positioned for a quicker and stronger post-pandemic comeback,” concluded Skjeldam.