In its newly expanded and extended agreement with National Geographic, Lindblad has a global license to use the National Geographic Expeditions brand to market, sell and operate co-branded trips on expedition ships with exclusivity on trips marketed in the US and Canada for ships up to 295 passengers. The agreement includes the ability to expand that exclusive license globally and to ships with capacity of up to 530 passengers.
Plus, the parties have a global license to market co-branded river cruises.
No specific plans for larger ships
Asked about larger ships during a call with analysts, Sven Lindblad said they're 'a possibility' at some point if that made sense, but there are no specific plans and 'Nothing is in the pipeline now.'
As for river cruising, Lindblad indicated that's a potential growth area. The company already markets cruises on the Nile, the Mekong and the Columbia and Snake rivers of the Pacific Northwest, and its customers like river cruising.
River charters preferred
Much river travel is seasonal, so Lindblad currently feels it's better not to own the vessels but to continue chartering them. Further development is likely to involve charters but 'you never know,' the CEO said; if demand warranted, the company could look at building or buying a vessel or even a river company.
'I think rivers are going to play a greater role in our future,' Sven Lindblad said.
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