On Location: Norway Is Having a Moment — Hurtigruten Is Sailing Into It

Norway is Having a Moment: Hurtigruten is Sailing Into It.

“Big ships sail past. With Hurtigruten, we sail in,” said Lisa Warner, Chief Marketing Officer of Hurtigruten, somewhere between Bergen and Oslo, on the MS Trollsfjord, as she addressed 150 invited guests (international media, travel advisors and partners), taking part in Hurtigruten’s VIP Summit at Sea.

TravelPulse Canada was the only Canadian travel media on board as executives from Hurtigruten shared their results, vision, and passion for this iconic Norwegian line, which has been sailing since 1893.

“It’s not just a Norwegian voyage. It’s a voyage into the heart of Norway.” Said Andre Pettersen, Chief Product and Hotel Officer. “Many companies can take you to see Norway. We welcome you to our home.”

Dramatic Norwegian sky frames the open deck aboard Hurtigruten’s MS Trollsfjord. (Photo Credit: Kathy Buckworth)

Close Enough to Touch Norway

Indeed, on a Hurtigruten ship passengers sail as close as 500 metres from the shoreline, and 20-30 metres from cliffs. The line employs 2,300 employees, 66% of which are at sea. Women occupy 43% of their senior leadership roles.

Hurtigruten prides itself on its “Small footprint. Big impact” approach to cruising and the environment, investing NOK 1 billion in environmental upgrades. They produce approximately 25% less C02 and 80% lower NOx emissions.

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Hurtigruten also takes care of its coastal home. Between 2018-2024 they’ve seen four ships upgraded to hybrid-electric, and 36% less food waste per guest. Their ships serve between 3,000 to 4,000 meals per day, so their commitment to eventual zero food waste is impressive.

The Numbers Are Cruising, Too

Revenue wise, Hurtigruten has seen a 42% total 2026 revenue growth, with a 48% increase in B2B revenue growth. In North America, Hurtigruten is seeing 68% revenue growth versus same time a year ago. (Separate Canadian figures are not available from Hurtigruten at this time.)

They are 35% ahead of previous year booked revenue, and 60% of those revenues will be achieved as they enter 2027. Their 150m Euro modernization has been completed, and they have a current coastal agreement in place through to 2030.

Pettersen introduced the upcoming 2027/2028 Limited Collection, which will include an Inner Fjords Express (Bergen to Bergen), the Arctic Line (Copenhagen to Tromso), and the Arctic Circle Express (Tromso to Tromso).

CMO Warner identified the key customer segments for Hurtigruten, developed through extensive research. The Culture Enthusiasts (curious travellers wanting connection), the Nature Explorers (thoughtful travellers inspired by nature), and Experience Seekers (energetic travellers looking for new experiences). These audience segments align with the three key reasons for travel advisors to recommend Hurtigruten: They are built for the coast, to see nature up close, and to be a part of the Norwegian culture.

Canada’s 80% Solution

TravelPulse Canada had the chance to sit down with Iain Powell, Chief Commercial Officer for Hurtigruten, to talk about the importance of travel advisors to their business.

“Globally, travel agents are about 57% of our business. They are super important to our growth.”, he said. “In Canada it’s 80% of our business.”

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This is thought to be reflective of the fact that there is not a separate Canadian consumer website for Hurtigruten. Air Canada recently announced that they will be adding direct flights to Oslo starting in June, 2027, through to October, 2027, so they expect Canadian numbers to rise.

 

“We know that this is a product and a brand that we need to educate on. We need people to come and see the products. We need them to understand the product. And we need to make sure that we continue to do that.”, Powell explained. “I think that the opportunity in North America as a whole is huge for us. It's a large addressable market.”

“Travel agents know their customer better than we do. They know what they're looking for, they know who their customer is. What we're very focused on is making sure that we really clearly articulate who our customer is or who we think they are, and then support the travel agents. The travel agent already has those customers in their database, but we've got to help them match it up, and that responsibility is on us, not on them.”

Two Ways to Sail Norway

Hurtigruten offers two different types of experiences. The Original (Coastal route), with ships operating as ferries along the northern cost, making up to 34 stops for passengers and cargo, and the Signature Line, which is more like a traditional cruising experience.

Powell isn’t sure customers totally understand the difference today.

“I think it's improving and we're going in the right direction, but it's work in progress.” he said.

The dining room aboard Hurtigruten’s MS Trollsfjord, part of the line’s Signature fleet. (Photo Credit: Kathy Buckworth)

“Signature is still relatively new for us. It's only a few years old. If you take the fact that we're not that well known and then you start talking about our product levels underneath it, it's a level of detail that maybe we haven't quite yet got to. We could say it's a challenge, but it also means there's tons of scope, tons of opportunity. If we can start to build brand awareness and increase their understanding of our offering, that will translate into more bookings.”

Powell acknowledges that there is pushback towards some of the large ships, and that people are moving towards smaller ships.

“Signature is a good gateway product for someone who's used to a larger cruise.”

Haaland, Coolcations & a Hot Norway

Now is the right time to be building this brand awareness, as Norway is definitely having a moment, due in part mostly to the celebrity of the Norwegian soccer team, and the star player, Erling Haaland.

“It gave Norway a kind of share of voice in the media that it’s never had.” said Powell.

He shared that travel trends such as “Coolcations” and “Astrotourism” are also driving up bookings.

The addition of Hurtigruten sailing out of Copenhagen in 2027 is exciting to Powell.

“Copenhagen is quite well served in air connections internationally so that was an intentional move to try and enable an international traveler to come and join the ship a little bit easier maybe than Bergen or Oslo”.

In 2024 the Hurtigruten group reorganized into two distinct businesses: Hurtigruten and HX, with their first full year of independent operations in 2025.

Outdoor gear and expedition equipment available aboard Hurtigruten’s MS Trollsfjord (Photo Credit: Kathy Buckworth)

“As an independent business, we're performing and we're doing very, very well”, said Powell.

“In terms of our brand differentiation, HX is no longer using the brand. They're using HX. It enables us to really go back to the core of a business. I think it has enabled us to go to the core of what Hurtigruten is without any distraction.”

A cleaner message and a more defined brand is key to the future and continued success of Hurtigruten.

“Building brand awareness in North America is super important to our growth. And of course, when we do that through our direct advertising, it always carries travel agent call to action.”

Judging by the response from the travel advisors onboard the Signature ship MS Trollsfjord, there will be plenty of action when it comes to booking Hurtigruten.

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