Building a pair of U.S.-flagged and focused ships also meant taking into consideration the shoulder seasons for Lindblad Expeditions, meaning where the adventure brand would deploy the 100-guest National Geographic Endurance and Quest in the non-high yielding months of the year.
“We believe the shoulder seasons do represent a real opportunity,” said Sven-Olof Lindblad – Founder, CEO, president and director, speaking on the company’s year-end and fourth quarter earnings call.
“We continue to develop a number of ideas that will take greater advantage of these periods. This is where the bulk of our Wild Escape shorter four- and five-night programs are being developed,” he said.
While those programs are not yet at ideal occupancy levels, according to CFO Craig Felenstein, the programs are still “very profitable” and adding to the bottom line of the company.
Lindblad continued: “These programs will take some time to build and gain significant traction. The occupancies out of the gate are not expected to be at the same level as some of our traditional itineraries, but they will create opportunities for us to generate additional returns on these ships during the winter months while also developing a broader pipeline for attracting new guests, many of whom do not have the resources to embark on longer expeditions at these particular stages of their lives.”
Of note, Lindblad is offering a program of five nights in Mexico’s Magdalena Bay, lined up with gray whale season.
“It’s a perfect escape. We are currently offering 11 different Wild Escapes programs across seven different geographies, and we’re very excited about further development of these unique experiences for our guests,” Lindblad said.
