To simplify the distinctions between its two sub brands — Hurtigruten Expeditions and Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express — Hurtigruten Group is rebranding Hurtigruten Expeditions to “HX” and Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express to just “Hurtigruten.”
The new HX branding and logo will be fully implemented across all media beginning in December, and the company’s ships will see updates to their livery over the next 18 months.
The name Hurtigruten is synonymous with travel in Norway, just as it has been a renowned travel brand for over 130 years,” said Daniel Skjeldam, CEO of Hurtigruten Group, in a press release. “Today’s evolution of our brand identities is the culmination of the work that started in 2021 when we split the two brands.”
We sat down with Skjeldam to better understand these changes and how they will affect travel sellers.
What initially prompted the rebranding of Hurtigruten Expeditions to HX?
The brand distinction hasn't been as significant as the difference between the products. What we've seen amongst both our guests and amongst industry professionals is that we refer to Hurtigruten for everything. We weren’t able to get through the brand nuances and the strength and storytelling in each brand. So, we need a new brand to emphasize that storytelling for both.
We will, over a transition period, use HX Hurtigruten Expeditions so we don't lose track over brand awareness and all our trusted guests and travel advisors.
The brand distinction hasn't been as significant as the difference between the products … we need a new brand in order to emphasize that storytelling for both.
How did the company land on the name HX?
We call ourselves “H” or “X” internally because Hurtigruten Expeditions is too long to say. So HX is basically just short for Hurtigruten Expeditions. That was a very easy way to build something new … that was also very strongly linked to our roots, which we're very proud of.
So, this lets us evolve the branding and the storytelling. And it also elevates the brand to the very high-end nature of the product delivery — which is very all-inclusive, and very adapted to the North American market.
What would you like travel advisors to know about the new HX brand?
I think a key message for us is that [HX] is something very different from the Norwegian coastal products. And it’s also important to be clear that we want to embrace the travel trade going forward, and that we will have initiatives that we couldn't do in the past, when [they] were one combined unit.
So, I think the trade will see a lot more initiatives from HX going forward that [are] purpose-built for the trade, as we have a strategic ambition to grow in North America.
So, I think the trade will see a lot more initiatives from HX going forward that [are] purpose-built for the trade, as we have a strategic ambition to grow in North America.
Through the introduction of a new brand, we’re also opening up our distribution strategy. Historically, we’ve been [split] 50/50 between business to consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B). For HX, it's natural that we grow our presence in the travel trade. We want to forge stronger ties with the trade, as well as build on the very strong connections we already have.
With this split … HX will have a separate commission structure and a separate bonus structure toward the trade, compared to what Hurtigruten will have, which will both be adapted to each company's needs.
How does the company plan to grow in the U.S. market, specifically?
I think we have a lot of good things going for us. I mentioned the strong legacy. We have a very high-end product that is well-adapted to the American guest space. I think the fact that we're a Norwegian heritage company also is a very good thing.
And our focus on sustainability and ESG (environmental, social and governance) and science and learning packaged with a very high-end product makes us really stand out among the guests who [are] considering trips to [these] very [interesting] places of the world. They want to visit with a company that will do it in a mindful way and really take care of these areas. I think that's something that really resonates well with the core customer demographics for the destinations we serve.
What else does the future hold for the HX fleet and its destinations?
We want to grow in parts of the world, other than [the] Arctic and Antarctica. So, you'll see a lot of interesting destinations. Over the last few years, we've massively grown the product portfolio with the addition of the Galapagos Islands, which has already become our No. 3 destination, behind only Antarctica and Greenland.
Also, [we’re] now adding Bissagos Islands in Western Africa [this fall] as a very exciting new place for HX to go. And we have a strong desire to expand into Asia Pacific, where we think [there’s] a lot of opportunities for a company like ours to build strong itineraries.
And I think we will be a much larger company all through the Americas in terms of guests a few years from now.
What kind of growth are you already seeing in the North American market?
From January 2023 to August 2023, the booked revenue [from the North American market] was up 93% compared to the year before. And if you look at [the time] prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, it's an even larger change. If you look at 2023 departures compared to the 2019 departures, HX revenue is up by almost 1,000%, at 949%. So, it is a massive change that has happened in the company over [the] last few years.
