The operator says demand from younger guests and multigenerational groups is expanding opportunities for travel advisers, alongside strong polar and Asia-Pacific sales.
Swan Hellenic has reported record July revenue and an average guest age of 43, as the expedition cruise operator urges travel advisers to widen their customer base beyond retirees.
The company said July 2026 revenue rose 170 per cent year-on-year, with global year-to-date growth reaching 268 per cent. Its polar portfolio accounted for two-thirds of the reported growth, while new Asia-Pacific itineraries recorded a 373 per cent year-on-year increase.
Mario Bounas, Swan Hellenic’s chief commercial officer and a recent Cruise360 panellist, said younger passengers and families travelling across generations were becoming increasingly important to the business.
“We are seeing triple-digit growth for multigenerational travel, and a strong skew to a younger audience – in fact, the average age of a Swan Hellenic guest is 43, when expedition cruise travellers traditionally skew older. For the travel trade, it’s important to break free from the idea that expedition travel is a bucket list item to be ticked off in your twilight years – the market is there, and they are ready to invest in life-changing experiences.”
The company’s results come amid broader growth in cruising. According to Skift Research’s The State of Travel 2026, global cruise passenger numbers reached a record 37.2 million in 2025, compared with 31.7 million in 2023, and are forecast to reach 42 million by 2028. Roughly one in three cruisers is now under 40.
The release also cites Skift findings that 43 per cent of travellers regard experiences as the most important element of travel, ahead of destinations, comfort or convenience. It says 93 per cent of Gen Z and Millennial parents consider travel important for their children, while 81 per cent say their own parents instilled that value.
Those findings concern travel and cruising broadly, rather than measuring expedition demand specifically.
In Australia and New Zealand, Virtuoso’s 2027 Luxe Report ranked multigenerational travel as the leading travel trend, followed by expedition cruising. Expedition cruising also ranked third among solo travel experiences, behind health and wellness and guided tours. Antarctica led the report’s rankings for destinations on the rise, adventure travel and cruise itineraries.
According to figures cited in the release, Virtuoso’s Australian and New Zealand partner cruise sales grew close to 11 per cent in 2026, with expedition cruising remaining its strongest-selling cruise category locally.
Australian passenger figures also show a younger cruise market. Cruise Lines International Association’s 2025 Source Market Report recorded 1.45 million Australian ocean cruise passengers, up 9.5 per cent on 2024, making Australia the world’s fourth-largest cruise source market.
The average Australian passenger age fell to 47.3, with 34.2 per cent aged under 40. A total of 286,000 Australians cruised outside Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific in 2025, an increase of 17 per cent.
Bounas said Swan Hellenic planned to keep SH Minerva in Asia-Pacific waters until 2028, with further dates and itineraries being planned for 2029 and beyond. The company’s programme includes Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, remote Pacific islands, the Philippines and Raja Ampat, alongside Antarctic voyages.
Swan Hellenic also said it had been named among the top five expedition cruise lines in Condé Nast Traveller’s Readers’ Choice Awards 2026.
Kirsty Fruin, Swan Hellenic’s sales director for Australia and New Zealand, said repeat bookings were extending across both polar and warmer destinations.
“We are seeing guests experiencing both polar regions and warmer Asia-Pacific destinations across multiple cruises – it absolutely blows my mind. The market is there, it’s about matching the right client to the right cruise product, and once you make that match, your clients will remain loyal to both you as the agent, and your expedition operator, because they’ve had a life-changing experience.
“The opportunity for Australian travel agents is to widen who they consider for expedition travel itineraries so they aren’t leaving commission on the table. Growth is no longer limited to retirees: solo travellers, young couples and multigenerational groups increasingly fit the brief, even when they haven’t asked for an expedition cruise by name,” Ms Fruin said.
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