If you don't know where Spitsbergen is, Hurtigruten would like to tell you all about it. The expedition cruise operator has launched an online, agent education program that leads to a "specialist" certification and earns credits from the Cruise Lines International Association and the Travel Institute.
Hurtigruten cruises sail to Norway, Spitsbergen, Greenland, Antarctica and some other European destinations. The New York-based firm said its educational program consists of 14 modules that agents can study on their own time and at their own pace. Each module, featuring a pretest, topical content, interactive activities and a review, will be released on a monthly basis at www.hurtigrutenacademy.com.
Training modules take 15 minutes to an hour to complete and are designed to educate agents on Hurtigruten's overall brand experience, guest demographics, ships, destinations, itineraries and amenities. The training also covers advice on sales, best practices and professionally addressing clients' concerns, "making them experts and improving their ability to successfully sell Hurtigruten voyages," the firm said.
Upon completing the course, agents become a Certified Hurtigruten Specialist and receive a certificate of achievement and window decal to display. Retailers must register in advance at the website.
In other news from Hurtigruten, its renovated, 120-passenger ship Expedition now can be booked as part of the firm's all-inclusive Spitsbergen cruise-tours. (Spitsbergen, by the way, is the largest of the islands of Svalbard, a destination of jagged peaks and Arctic tundra, and with an abundance of wildlife, including polar bears, Svalbard reindeer, Arctic foxes, whales, walruses and seals.)
"These sailings have been developed to offer our active travelers a real close-up encounter with this breathtaking piece of the frozen world," said Hans Rood, Hurtigruten's vice president of global sales. The Expedition will share duties with the Polar Star on the 12-day Grand Arctic Expedition, one of three Spitsbergen itineraries offered by Hurtigruten. Early booking prices range from $5,686 to $14,584 per person, double.
The Expedition, built in Denmark in 1972, underwent a complete rebuilding and modernization last year. It has a panorama lounge, expedition lounge, restaurant, library, bar, fitness room and sauna. All cabins are outside and have their own window or porthole. Zodiacs are used for expedition landings and for navigating the narrow straits of the arctic landscape for up-close views of the glaciers and wildlife. Itineraries and more details are online at www.hurtigruten.com.