The Hurtigruten Rewards programme, which launched on Wednesday (16 October), allows agents to track their rewards on a platform. 

Individual bookings are translated into points which can then be redeemed as a monetary voucher or saved up for larger purchases. 

The vouchers offer the flexibility to shop at more than 200 UK brands, including John Lewis, Waitrose, Hello Fresh, Habitat, Argos, Currys, Spotify, Waterstones, ASOS and Cineworld. 

Read Iain Powell’s first trade press interview as sales vice-president at Hurtigruten

Agent members are awarded 100 points for “Original” bookings and 200 for “Signature” bookings. Agents who sign up before 1 November will get a bonus 100 points added to their account. 

Powell told TTG: “I believe the programme will bring in new agents. We already have a really stable trade distribution, but if we’re going to grow, we need to widen our trade distribution and reach new people.” 

Within five hours of launching the programme on Wednesday, more than 100 agents had signed up. Powell added: “We’ve not set a [sign-ups] target, but by Christmas it would be good to have 1,000 signed up by Christmas."

“Travel agents have been really important for our growth. This is next logical step for us. For me, this programme gives agents a reason to think about Hurtigruten.” 

Hurtigruten reported that B2B revenue has soared 107% in the year to date. 

Head of sales James Howlett added: “This new programme reflects our commitment to building strong, lasting relationships between Hurtigruten and UK travel agents. 

“Their support has been a key driver of our success, and we want to ensure they feel valued and appreciated.

"We’re confident this initiative will enhance our collaboration and lead to even greater success.”