Australian bookings for polar expeditions are running 22% ahead of last year, with travellers booking earlier, choosing higher category cabins and opting for longer itineraries.
The figures were shared by Sam Seward, Quark Expeditions President, during a Luxury Travel Collection ‘Leaders Who Lunch’ event in Sydney, where members heard directly about the company’s Australian growth and future strategy.
“Demand has caught up with and overtaken capacity,” Mr Seward said, adding that the strength of the Australian market had prompted Quark to launch its 2028–29 season six months earlier than usual.
“We are growing really, really successfully here in Australia, we’re 22% ahead of last year and honestly, for that we have to thank you guys. It’s really down to the support we get from our trade partners,” he said.
Mr Seward also discussed Quark’s recently announced newbuild partnership with APT Travel Group, which will see a new PC6 ice class vessel enter service in 2029.
He said the company also had ambitions for further fleet growth while remaining focused exclusively on polar travel.
“We just do polar. We are unapologetically polar only,” Mr Seward said.
The event also featured chef Mark Olive, who reinterpreted Quark’s Tundra to Table concept through an Australian Indigenous lens, drawing on the Indigenous led culinary experience offered on selected Arctic voyages.
Nikki Glading, Luxury Travel Collection General Manager, said the series was designed to give members access to senior industry leaders and deeper insight into their strategies.
“Our Leaders Who Lunch series is a powerful expression of that partnership. Sam wasn’t here to deliver a sales presentation; he was here to have a candid, strategic conversation about Quark,” Ms Glading said.
The Leaders Who Lunch series connects Luxury Travel Collection advisors with executives and decision makers across the luxury travel sector.
