Marozaite wants agents to engage with training available from the ECN’s new Expedition Cruise Academy before boarding, highlighting how expedition ship visits are “fundamentally different” to mainstream ocean ship visits.

She stressed expedition cruising is “primarily destination-driven, focused on expert-led excursions, wild encounters and remote landings” whereas ocean ship visits help agents understand the onboard amenities and entertainment.

Marozaite believes agents can hit the ground running if they complete some form of online training prior to their visit. Her comments follow the launch earlier this month of the ECN academy, which provides resources to help travel trade professionals deepen their knowledge and understanding of expedition cruising.

Taster courses give overviews of different expedition cruise operators, details of their fleets, key destinations, selling points and trade resources. “Because our travel advisor membership is so varied in terms of their experience – some have lots of experience and some are new – they have different needs for ship visits," Marozaite told TTG.

“In a recent ECN survey, most agents flagged they would prefer to complete some pre-visit training about the ship or the line they are about to experience for the first time. If they’re only visiting a ship, agents often want to spend as much time with the expedition leaders as possible to get a sense of the expedition experience.”

The ECN has so far signed up around 100 agents since the launch of the Expedition Cruise Academy on 2 April, and hopes to hit the 2,000-mark before 2026.

Marozaite added: “I would like to introduce expedition cruising to travel companies that have the right type of customers but do not currently sell expedition cruises. It makes sense. 

“Our new training platform is designed in such a way that whether you are a beginner or an experienced agent you can take something from it. This is just the beginning for us. We’re going to introduce so much more.” 

Why AE Expeditions has invested £60,000 in its UK ship visit programme this summer 

However, Marozaite added: “Our academy offers an easy, one-stop-shop for all expedition cruising learning needs. Saying this, nothing will replace the value of the fam trips – experiencing expedition cruising yourself will always remain the best way to understand what expedition cruising is all about.

“We want to be the central place where agents can learn about expedition cruising. For travel agents, there needs to be an area where they can learn which itinerary to book, which ship to choose and which operators operate in that region that limit or increase the experience. 

“We’ve created the closest thing to going on the ship itself."