Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express will return all seven ships on its Bergen-Kirkenes voyages in July, after more than 18 months of limited operation.
The deployment comes as Hurtigruten Group reported booking levels are almost 50% higher than pre-pandemic levels.
“There is a huge pent-up demand for travel, and we see a substantial and growing demand for authentic adventure travel. After a very challenging year and a half for the entire travel industry, we are extremely excited about our step-by-step return to operations,” said Hurtigruten Group CEO Daniel Skjeldam.
Positive booking momentum for 2H 2021 further improved in May following optimistic news on the potential lifting of travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers. In fact, 2022 bookings over the last 30 days is 101% higher than 2020 for the same period in 2019, and including re-bookings, the growth is 34 compared to a like-for-like period two years ago.
Coastal Express ramps up
Hurtigruten says its increased Coastal Express deployment is a “huge step towards normality” and a reminder to all of what’s to come. By July, Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express will have all seven ships along the coast of Norway operational again.
“By bringing MS Nordlys and MS Nordnorge into operations from July, we will not only bring more furloughed colleagues back to work; we will also hire new colleagues to fill vacant positions. We can welcome more guests on board, offer more unique experiences, carry more goods, and create more local value and more activity in the communities we visit,” the company said.
“As more and more countries open their borders for travel this summer, we will be able to welcome more and more international guests. The great news Hurtigruten Norway announces today, is something we should celebrate across the travel industry. Not only for the nature of the news itself, but because it clearly shows what’s to come also for Hurtigruten Svalbard and Hurtigruten Expeditions.”
Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express CEO Hedda Felin is now looking forward to welcoming international travellers back on board when travel restrictions are lifted.
“There is no better way to experience the Norwegian coast than sailing it with Hurtigruten’s Norwegian Coastal Express, and we will almost have the fjords all to ourselves. Together with our local partners, who supply local food and excursions, we will create unique experiences for our guests,” Felin said.
Damian Perry, MD Asia Pacific, said: “Hurtigruten is experiencing great interest from guests all over the world; now able to travel the Norwegian coast as a clear roadmap has been outlined by local governments and policymakers for guests domestically, regionally and internationally.
“Our expansion to operate a full season is a great indicator of how cruise can restart and operate safely both domestically and regionally without any major risk. It would be great to see similar proactive and practical initiatives here in Australia and within our region,” said
Perry continued, saying: “The new season launch of our best selling Follow The Lights itinerary which features the Norwegian Coastal Express has been embraced by Australian and New Zealand travellers who are actively booking into 2022 and 2023.
“We’ve met with many of our travel partners and they remain resilient, with their businesses prepared to support travellers both domestically and internationally as we return with safe cruising solutions. As we see the rest of the world opening borders and facilitating a return to travel, we also seek a clear roadmap for Australians as the desire to travel remains strong.”
Recently, Hurtigruten Group revealed the latest in a series of large-scale investments in sustainability and green technology: By using a combination of batteries, shore power and biofuel, the seven ships in the Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express fleet will be upgraded to reduce CO2 emissions by at least 25% and NOx emissions cut by 80%.
“The world’s most beautiful voyage just got even better. We are combining the best available technical solutions and cutting CO2 emissions along the Norwegian coast with at least a quarter. And most importantly, we are laying the foundation for introducing new and even more efficient environmental solutions as they are developed,” Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express CEO Hedda Felin said.
