Speaking during the Expedition Cruise Network Conference on Tuesday (29 September), Danielle Bates, Head of UK Sales at National Geographic Lindblad Expeditions; Nathaniel Sherborne, HX Expeditions Senior Vice-President and Managing Director, EMEA / ANZ, and Global Sales Enablement; and Swan Hellenic's Chief Commercial Officer Mario Bounas all highlighted the reasons to book Arctic expeditions.

Bates, though, conceded she had "a lot of conversation" around how difficult it is for agents to sell the Arctic over the Antarctic which effectively sells itself given the destination is steeped in history, there are penguins, lots of ice and whales.

Explaining how agents should go about selling the Arctic, Bates said: "For the British market, in theory it's best to focus on the geography. It's easier to get to the Arctic. It's more accessible because it's a shorter flight time."

Sherborne noted how shorter Arctic sailings are available. "Unfortunately, with expedition cruise, there are barriers to entry," he said, before going on to explain how people sometimes fear sailing on a ship for the first time and the length of sailings in Antarctica. "There are seven- or eight-night options [in the Arctic]," he continued. "Hone in on that seven-night experience and you cannot see polar bears in other parts of the world."

Bates explained how Lindblad Expeditions has broken down the Arctic into four regions to help clients understand the destination better.

She said: "The Arctic is such a huge part of the world. We cover four different regions: Svalbard, Iceland, the Canadian Arctic and Greenland. There are itineraries that cross over into each of those as well. Each of them have their own selling points."

Bounas highlighted how Swan Hellenic offers fly-cruise Artic departures from Copenhagen which he suggested helped passengers grapple with getting on a cruise vessel for the first time.

"It makes it easier for your clients. When you go from Longyearbyen and go round Svalbard you are there for seven days or 10 depending on how long you want to spend there. Then you've got Greenland. The west and east of Greenland are very different. It all depends on what your clients are looking for," he said.