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Amid a partnership that has spanned more than 20 years, Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic have rebranded their expedition cruising product to National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions.
Kathi Riddle, vice president of sales and revenue management for Lindblad Expeditions, said the two companies have worked during the past two decades “to connect curious travelers with transformative experiences. With the shared mission of fostering a spirit of discovery and community by blending science, nature and purpose-driven travel, we are defining modern expedition cruising and bringing the pages of ‘National Geographic Magazine’ to life.”
A previous agreement limited Lindblad’s ability to fully capitalize on the global name recognition of the National Geographic brand or market products under the former Lindblad Expeditions- National Geographic co-brand in North America. However, all that changed with the rebranding, Riddle said.
The new agreement between the two brands and The Walt Disney Company (which owns 73 percent of National Geographic) grants Lindblad Expeditions global rights to the National Geographic brand for expedition cruising through at least 2040.
Consumer and Trade Campaigns
Riddle said with the launch of the new co-branded identity, “we debuted a new logo and look-and-feel that we’re rolling out across all owned marketing channels this year, more broadly with a sweeping consumer and trade marketing campaign early next year, and across our fleet of owned ships over the next two years.”
Lindblad Expeditions offers over 100 unique itineraries visiting more than 70 countries and territories across all seven continents. The company will now operate and sell upward of 600 annual departures on its growing fleet of 20 owned and chartered mission built expedition ships.
The lounge in the new National Geographic Gemini. (Source: Lindblad Expeditions)
As part of the new agreement, Lindblad Expeditions was granted global rights to the National Geographic brand for expedition cruises, Riddle said, and now has the opportunity to leverage The Walt Disney Company as an affiliate of National Geographic Partners to distribute its products through Disney’s powerful sales channels and support robust joint marketing campaigns.
Two New Ships in 2025
Unquestionably, the product itself is unique. Lindblad Expeditions operates the largest, most diverse fleet of mission-built expedition ships in the industry.
In early 2025, the company will welcome two new ships to the fleet: National Geographic Delfina, a 16-guest luxury catamaran; and National Geographic Gemini, a 48-guest true expedition vessel designed for discovery. The vessels will undergo multimillion- dollar revitalizations before setting sail year-round in the Galápagos Islands under the National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions co-brand in February and March 2025, respectively.
Lindblad’s Kathi Riddle and her team also host quarterly webinars featuring information about new and noteworthy products, special offers and more.
National Geographic Delfina, a 16-guest luxury catamaran, joins the fleet in the Galápagos in February 2025. (Source: Lindblad Expeditions)
The company also recently announced that it would be chartering Delfina, an elegant, 16-guest, all-suite ship – doubling its offerings along the upper Amazon River and Peru with a series of new voyages beginning in January 2026. Delfin III is the sister ship of Delfin II, which Lindblad Expeditions has chartered since 2010 and operates on the Amazon year-round on behalf of the National Geographic- Lindblad Expeditions co-brand.
Distinctive Differentiators
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions sets its itself apart in a crowded expedition market in multiple ways, said Riddle. Lars-Eric Lindblad, father of Lindblad Expeditions Founder Sven-Olof Lindblad, pioneered this method of travel when he led the first non-scientific civilian expedition to Antarctica in 1966. The next year, Lars-Eric Lindblad organized the first international civilian expedition to the Galápagos Islands.
Since 1979, Sven-Olof Lindblad has nurtured the family legacy, establishing Lindblad Expeditions and expanding the transformative travel experiences his father conceived. Under his leadership, Lindblad Expeditions has built the world’s most advanced fleet of expedition ships, pioneered voyages to multiple destinations and set industry standards for responsible expedition travel.
A Small, Nimble Fleet
And while the fleet is large, the ships are purposely small and nimble, accommodating between just 16 and 148 guests. The intimate nature of the ships affords guests a generous guest-to staff ratio and high degree of access to naturalists, speakers and expedition staff .
The ships’ sizes also enable them to journey closer, deeper and further, Riddle said. When guests travel to Antarctica, for example, they won’t be waiting in a queue to get on a Zodiac for every landing as is the case with other operators whose ships carry 200-plus guests and are faced with limits on how many travelers can be off their ships at one time.
The Travel Advisor Equation
The new co-branded identity will not have any impact on existing relationships with travel advisors. “Our dedicated travel advisors are our most influential partners and our brand advocates,” Riddle said. “They are our connection to a growing number of travelers who are looking for active exploration and wonder in remote destinations far beyond crowded cruise ports.”
Last year, Lindblad Expeditions unveiled Expedition 360, its most comprehensive trade program in the company’s 50-plus-year history. Encompassing four key pillars – training, service, technology and appreciation – the program provides a full complement of resources travel partners need to grow their business and tap into expedition cruising.
Lindblad Expeditions also launched a partnership with Approach Guides, a content optimization platform for travel brands. Integrating the guides into the Expedition 360 portal enables advisors to leverage Approach Guides’ technology to quickly create personalized content using pre-designed templates that provide their clients with an immersive look into the special character of the National Geographic- Lindblad Expeditions cruising experience.
Expedition 360 has training modules and other helpful reference materials and resources created just for advisors, plus a private Facebook group where they can connect with the operator’s team and other advisors who have been selling these products for decades and are happy to help.
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