Skip to main content

Solo travellers, Svalbard rules and the industry's 'twisted stepchild', plus seven other expedition cruise talking points

Expedition cruise
Harry Kemble
2 October 2025

Does Svalbard still deliver as a destination? Why are regulations on the rise, and how do expedition cruise lines feel about this trend? Here's everything we learned at the second Expedition Cruise Network conference.

Polar bear on the ice

The Expedition Cruise Network’s mission is to create “a home” for the expedition cruise sector – but that's no easy task given how diverse its membership is.

Each of its 29 cruise operator members differ from one another, and to compound matters, some seek to distance themselves from the wider cruise industry while others prefer to position themselves as adventure outfits. This makes ECN's job that little bit harder.

ECN’s second annual conference attracted more than 200 delegates across the two days, which speaks volumes about the extent to which the association goes to appeal to every corner of this flourishing sector.