Quark Expeditions put the focus firmly on experiences beyond the ship as it welcomed travel advisors and industry partners to its Explore More event at Sydney’s Australian Museum this week.
Visiting Quark Expeditions President Sam Seward (pictured right) said the company’s exclusive focus on the polar regions remained central to its identity, despite growing competition in the expedition sector.
“We do polar. We are polar only. This is our obsession. This is our specialty. This is our purpose,” Seward said.
While Quark’s ships offer contemporary accommodation and onboard comforts, Seward said the company’s definition of luxury was less about white-glove service and more about giving guests access to places, wildlife and experiences that would otherwise remain out of reach.
“What we’re looking for is full immersion in the most extraordinary last remaining wildernesses on this planet,” he said.
“That’s what we’re here to do, and that’s what we do better than anyone else.”
Examples range from helicopter landings on the Greenland ice sheet and Zodiac excursions among icebergs to kayaking alongside whales and reaching remote emperor penguin colonies.
Seward said Quark was experiencing the strongest sustained demand in its history, prompting it to release its Antarctica 2028–29 and Arctic 2028 programs six months earlier than planned.
Australian travellers are also booking earlier, choosing longer itineraries and opting for higher-value and more premium cabin categories, he said. Overall business is up 22 per cent year-on-year, while travellers from the Asia-Pacific region now account for 22 per cent of Quark’s global passengers.
Quark’s long-term investment in its expedition teams was presented as one of its key points of difference. The company operates with one expedition team member for every six guests and maintains its own training academy in Ushuaia.
Its three current vessels – Ultramarine, Ocean Explorer and World Voyager – each carry fewer than 200 passengers, allowing guests to disembark more quickly and spend more time exploring.
The fleet will change again in 2029, when World Voyager is replaced by a new purpose-built expedition vessel being developed in partnership with APT Travel Group.
The PC6-rated ship will accommodate 160 guests and operate for Quark in Antarctica, equipped with the company’s range of expedition equipment and adventure options. APT will use the vessel for its own programs in regions including the Mediterranean.
Among the product highlighted for agents was a newly introduced guided photography program. Designed for travellers with a serious interest in photography, the paid option includes a dedicated Zodiac, support from a professional photographer and practical coaching both in the field and onboard.
Other optional experiences include sea kayaking, paddling, camping in Antarctica, mountain biking and overnight camping in Greenland and Quark’s Tundra to Table culinary experience, which explores Inuit food, history and culture.
Agents were advised to secure these activities at the time of booking, with some options selling out one or even two years ahead. Helicopter landings on the ice, available on selected Epic Antarctica voyages, are already close to capacity on some newly released departures.
Quark also highlighted itineraries beyond the traditional Antarctic Peninsula voyage, including the Northwest Passage, Greenland under the Northern Lights, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, Patagonia, the Weddell Sea and Snow Hill Island, home to a major emperor penguin colony.
A panel of travel advisors who had sailed with Quark told guests that expedition travel was neither exclusively for highly active travellers nor something clients needed to postpone until later in life. Different activity levels allow passengers to choose anything from more challenging hikes to slower walks and wildlife viewing close to the landing site.
They also stressed the need to prepare clients for flexibility, with ice, wind, weather and wildlife ultimately shaping each day’s program.
For agents looking to build polar sales, Quark said the Arctic offered a particularly strong repeat-business opportunity. According to the company, seven out of 10 Quark passengers who visit Antarctica subsequently book an Arctic expedition.
The advice from the stage was simple: sell the experience rather than the ship, match the right traveller with the right expedition and encourage clients to book while the most sought-after adventure options remain available.
