Mundy Adventures has pinned a surge in turn-of-year expedition cruise business on its heavy investment in a new training initiative, which has seen expedition sales more than double.
The specialist on Thursday (29 February) revealed its expedition cruise sales increased by 140% during January and February after it put all of its cruise consultants through its Polar Pioneer programme.
The programme requires agents to join a polar expedition cruise, train up their colleagues and write content for the company’s digital channels.
Mundy fully funded the polar fams for its consultants, and did not require them to take annual leave. The business said a fam experience was vital to guiding clients through what is a "complex purchase".
It comes after Mundy more than doubled its expedition cruise sales last year, which ended the year 110% up on 2022.
"Potential clients start to research the options well in advance of travel,” said Mundy Cruising and Mundy Adventures managing director Edwina Lonsdale.
“However they soon become confused by the choice and the prices, and need expert advice to ensure their money is well spent.”
Mundy said its own customer research had uncovered soaring demand for expedition cruising and once-on-a-lifetime trips, with more and more of Mundy’s customers opting more for experiential holidays.
Marketing director Alex Loizou put the trend down to post-pandemic wanderlust and current geopolitical challenges, which he said were creating a sense of "now or never" urgency in travellers.
He added the trend was a by-product of "eco-guilt" – the sense that if people are going to travel, they need to make their travel count.