Trends Seen in Small Ship Expedition Cruising

TRUCKEE, Calif. - July 30, 2019 - PRLog -- Small ship vacationing is on the rise with expedition cruising leading the charge. One company on the cutting edge of this expansion is AdventureSmith Explorations. Its founder, Todd Smith, shares his insights and thoughts on the recent growth.

"Expedition cruising is a perfect match for travelers seeking to check off hard-to-reach, bucket-list destinations sustainably and actively," explains Smith. "Flexible routes allow for spontaneous exploration and that spirit of adventure that today's travelers value."

On the Growth of Small Ship Expedition Cruising: We have seen remarkable growth in interest in expedition cruising since the founding of our company in 2003. Year over year from 2013 to 2018, our booked passenger count grew over 150%.

Cruise destinations in high demand: Alaska (https://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/alaska?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=pr), Antarctica and the Galapagos Islands (https://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/galapagos-isla...) are consistently our most in-demand destinations for expedition cruising. These are true expedition destinations, where small ships thrive in narrow inlets and small island chains in remote locations, going where larger cruise ships can't.

Some emerging destinations: Emerging destinations include the Arctic (https://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/arctic?utm_sou...), Indonesia (https://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/indonesia-small-ship-cruises?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=pr) and Australia (https://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/australia?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=pr). A recent blog post from my AdventureSmith team about what is new in expedition cruising for 2019 (https://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/2019-small-ship-cruises-new-cruise-ships?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=pr) provides more information.

Expedition cruise passengers: As world tourism grows, our specialty market is also growing. The typical expedition cruise passenger is educated, 40 to 70 years of age. One recent surprise is a growing number of younger female travelers who book solo trips to destinations such as Antarctica. It's part of a trend with younger clientele to check off bucket-list destinations while they still have the ability to enjoy them fully. Examples are those reaching 7 continents before 30 (https://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/7-continents-before-age-30-travel-advice-how-to-visit-all?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=pr).

Changing nature of polar expedition cruises: We are seeing a definite building boom of small expedition ships being purpose-built for polar expedition cruising.  See these recent posts on: 7 New Ships Launching in 2019 (https://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/new-cruise-ships-2019?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=pr) and Meet Antarctica's Newest Expedition Ships (https://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/new-antarctica-expedition-ships-small-polar-vessels-under-200-guests?utm_source=pr&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=pr).

Growth of sustainable practices: A trend we couldn't be happier about in the expedition cruising industry is the recognition and growing adoption of sustainable practices. An increasing number of cruises offer opportunities for citizen science, beach clean-ups and visits to local non-profits working on conservation. And we're seeing many extra on-ship technologies and measures like plastic bans, heat recovery systems, desalination plants, biodegradable engine lubrication oils and lower fuel consumption.

For details on all of AdventureSmith Explorations' small ship cruises, itineraries, availability and for 2019-2020 reservations, please call 866-575-2875 toll-free or visit the company website (https://www.adventuresmithexplorations.com/?utm_source=pr&utm_campaign=pr).

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