The Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) has announced that its new executive committee has met in-person for the first time, with the meeting taking place in Denmark this week.

The executive committee is made up of a number of high-level expedition executives (pictured above, from left to right): Marie Lannborn Barker, PolarQuest Expeditions (Chair); Bob Simpson, Abercrombie & Kent USA; Mark van der Hulst, Oceanwide Expeditions; Bill Davis, Quark Expeditions; Kelvin Murray, EYOS Expeditions; and Karin Strand, Hurtigruten

AECO was founded in 2003 and has since become a key organization representing the concerns and views of arctic expedition cruise operators, according to the group’s mission statement.

AECO is dedicated to managing responsible, environmentally friendly and safe tourism in the Arctic and strive to set the highest possible operating standards.

The association’s geographical range is considered to encompass the Arctic area north of 60 degrees north latitude.

The core areas are Svalbard, Jan Mayen, Greenland, Arctic Canada and the national park “Russian Arctic”.