Hurtigruten is keen to differentiate its product offering going forward – and not in the ways you might expect.

Following the line's 2025 financial results, which saw ebitda rise 80% (from €49.8 million to €90.2 million), Chief Commercial Officer Iain Powell and the newly appointed UK and Emerging Markets Vice-President of Sales and Marketing Hayley Moore sat down with TTG to outline their strategy.

Reflecting on the results, Powell says: "We were able to double down on what we do very well, which is operating in Norway. We now have the runway to think about what’s next."

That "next" appears increasingly tied to Signature, Hurtigruten’s premium all-inclusive product offering fewer port calls, longer stays and a "more curated" onboard experience.

(Credit: Hurtigruten)

According to Powell, growing its Signature product through additional capacity and new itinerary concepts represents one of Hurtigruten's best growth opportunities. To this end, Hurtigruten recently moved MS Midnatsol across into the Signature fleet and launched three new "limited collection" itineraries, including its first ex-Copenhagen cruise. Powell reveals the departure has enjoyed a "very, very strong start".

He also pointed to growing potential beyond cruise itself, with more guests looking to combine coastal voyages with rail journeys, land touring and wider Scandinavian itineraries under its Sail and Rail proposition.

"There are potential clients who are used to escorted touring or rail and want to experience the coastline of Norway in a different way," Powell explains. "But there's also those larger-ship cruisers who want something more authentic and more immersive."

'This is an opportunity to educate agents'

The product rollout appears to be gaining traction, particularly in the UK trade. Hurtigruten's latest figures show UK booked revenue rose 15% year-on-year in 2025, driven largely by the success of its Signature voyages, where booked revenue increased 66%. Most notably, trade revenue for Signature products surged 126% compared with 2024.

Moore, who joined Hurtigruten in January from Princess Cruises, argues the wider boom in small-ship cruising had also created a favourable environment for Hurtigruten. "This is our time, and our opportunity to really help educate agents on our product," she says.

As such, Hurtigruten has spent the past year expanding its UK-facing commercial team, with recent hires including Matt Stuart from Celebrity Cruises and Ellie Webb, also from Princess Cruises.

Moore explains the new appointments provide agents with "familiar faces" from the cruising world, in a bid to build "real confidence" in the brand.

At the same time, the company has intensified training around Signature products, expanded trade marketing and significantly increased fam trip activity.

"We brought more agents onboard last year than we had ever done previously," Moore says. "We don’t have ships sailing out of the UK, so I think it really shows our commitment to our UK trade partners to bring them directly to Norway."

Last year saw 48 agents hosted in total, with the aim of hosting more this year; a "VIP trade event" planned for September, for example, will see agents invited onboard Signature vessel Trollfjord alongside senior leadership.

'This is the one thing agents always ask'

For Powell, the trade remains critical to Hurtigruten’s growth ambitions, with many consumers being unfamiliar of the differences between the operator's product lines.

"The coastal product is something agents know," he says. "The Signature product is newer. It’s been a really big focus of our training and engagement."

That education piece also extends to brand perception more broadly, with Moore explaining one of the most common questions she receives from agents is simply: "Why Hurtigruten?"

The answer, she suggests, lies in the company’s 133-year heritage and its longstanding operational ties to Norway.

(Credit: Hurtigruten)

"We aren’t the only cruise line operating there," she says. "But our deep-rooted connection with Norway is what agents always want to know more about."

The operator is also benefiting from a wider surge in interest in Norway as a destination. "Yes, there’s more competition, but there’s also a much bigger audience wanting to experience Norway," explains Powell.

Despite wider economic uncertainty, including the ongoing war in Iran, the pair insists demand remains resilient. Powell acknowledges there had been "a very slight softening" in March amid global macroeconomic turbulence, but says bookings rebounded quickly in April and no sustained slowdown had emerged. 

The line carried 222,000 guests in 2025, up 6% year-on-year, while operating revenues spiked 12% to €501.8 million. 

Hurtigruten appears confident in the strength of its niche, but for Powell, the biggest challenge – and opportunity – lies in broadening who sees the brand as relevant in the first place.

"We have to find those new audiences, and Hurtigruten has to be clear about its brand going forward," he says.