Last month, the line named nine of its newest river ships in one day – including its 100th vessel across all of its fleets – in Basel, Switzerland, where the company is headquartered.

After the historic event, Barclay outlined how the line had adapted deployment to help agents sell its products in recent years.

"With the deployment of our ships, agents can also meet the evolving demands of their customers – for example, we have added capacity in the Mediterranean over the quiet season from October to March so that travellers can enjoy the region when it is cooler and less crowded and we have also increased capacity on popular itineraries such as the Caribbean, Alaska, the Nile and the Mekong.

"With the addition of brand new destinations such as the launch of our first river voyage in India in 2027, agents have the chance to offer clients even more choice when it comes to switch selling from other types of travel such as land tours."

He added: "As we celebrate the significant milestone of our 100th ship, we are looking forward to continuing to work closely with our trade partners in the UK and we are grateful for their contribution to our continued success.”

In 1997, Viking's fleet comprised of four ships. By 2028, the line is set to take delivery of 23 additional rive ships and 10 additional ocean ships by 2031, including the world's first hydrogen-powered cruise ship which is launching next year.

With these orders, Viking will have 112 river ships in 2028 and 23 ocean and expedition ships in 2031.

Barclay stressed: "It is worth highlighting that, although our fleet is continuing to grow, our ships are still small – with up to 998 guests on our all-veranda ocean ships, a capacity of 378 on our expedition ships and up to 190 guests on our Viking Longships – and agents can be confident their clients will continue to enjoy the warm, friendly service for which Viking is known."