Hurtigruten new name for Norwegian Coastal Voyage

Sunday, 19 May, 2006 0

Norwegian Coastal Voyage is being rebranded as Hurtigruten following the merger of its two parent companies in Norway, OVDS and TFDS.

Hurtigruten aims to be the leading player in the explorer cruise market. By utilising resources and improving buying power the organisation will provide aggressive pricing and improved product opportunities to help it compete and develop, the company said.

The merger, which was agreed in December 2005, sees NCV’s dual ownership by OVDS and TFDS dissolve as separate organisations and re-emerge as a single, more powerful player.

Hurtigruten is launching begins a campaign in the UK to continue building its share of the Norwegian cruise market as well as promoting new destinations, new itineraries and new vessel, The Fram, which is due to enter service in 2007.

UK managing director Iain Cottam said: “We know we will need to review every area of our current operation and the name change and new logo is just the first step on our journey.

“We will look at everything from on-board product and sales to distribution, revenue management and IT. We need to ensure that we are well positioned to compete in a market that continues to thrive, and achieve our aim to be the leading player in explorer cruises to the polar regions.

“We will continue to build partnerships with travel agents and tour operators and seek to maximise our distribution channels. Hurtigruten will retain its important brand values of authenticity which have made the company so successful, and the focus will be to develop areas of pristine beauty as we recognise our passengers don’t want just a cruise – they want a memorable experience. Strategically this is an exciting time for everyone involved in Hurtigruten.

“The merger will give Hurtigruten much stronger presence in the international market. Across the world, we will now operate under one name which will enhance our corporate image and build our profile in all our markets, especially the UK. In an ever competing market, the merger strengthens our position to be more aggressive with our competitors on both price and product and the UK will see the impact of this over the coming 12 months.”

Report by Phil Davies

Phil Davies

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