Hurtigruten announces new representation in Canada

For 124 years, the company Hurtigruten has been linking 34 ports on the Norwegian coast, often forming a crucial link for several remote villages to gain food and supplies, while also providing the only form of transportation towards Bergen.

Hurtigruten, equipped with 13 ships, is the expert in crossings of the Norwegian fjords. Good news, then, for Canadian agents: the company has appointed a new sales manager for Canada, Eric Bacon.

Well known by travel agents for his time, prior to beginning his new job, as Rail Europe’s regional sales manager for Canada, Bacon highlighted the fact that Hurtigruten offers a premium product with comfortable ships, all at an affordable price.

“By the end of March 2019, Canadians will be able to take advantage of prices on par with the American dollar, which will allow them to get very good value for money,” he explained, noting that only partners would be able to take advantage of this parity. Bacon also emphasizes healthy partnerships with tour operators in Canada, such as Encore Cruises, The Great Canadian Travel Company, GLP Worldwide and Tours Chanteclerc.

“Canadian travel agents can find us easily, and offer our products to their clients without worry,” he added.

Hurtigruten will take delivery of two new hybrid expedition ships in 2018 and 2019. They will be named the Roald Amundsen and the Fridtjof Nansen, a homage to two of the most celebrated Norwegian explorers in the polar regions. Two additional exploration ships could still also be added.

Of the itineraries in the Arctic, Hurtigruten now offers expeditions to Greenland and Iceland, around the island of Spitsbergen. This year, there will also be an expedition towards the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

In the southern hemisphere, Hurtigruten brings its passengers to the discovery of Antarctica, along the western and eastern coasts of South America, and to the Amazonian rainforest, this year.

“In a year and a half, we will have 3 boats that will sail in the Antarctic. This will make us the undisputed expert of this area in the world. In Iceland, we are becoming an alternative to the lack of accommodation there,” said Bacon.

For more information, please contact your travel agent or Eric Bacon at eric.bacon@hurtigruten.com.