Lindblad Expeditions is significantly increasing its market share in the Galapagos Islands with the addition of two new ships.

Set to be acquired from Celebrity Cruises, the National Geographic Delfina and the National Geographic Gemini will enter service for the brand in 2025.

According to Sven Lindblad, founder and CEO, the new ships will increase the company’s inventory in the region by 45 percent.

“Galapagos is a closed market for ships with a defined number of licenses, so the overall market is not increased,” he explained during Lindblad’s second quarter earnings call on Thursday.

[For a complete overview of the market, see the 2024 Expedition Market Report from Cruise Industry News.]

According to Lindblad, the market is critical for bringing in new guests to the brand.

“These two additional ships are expected to begin operation late Q1 next year, and the effects on accelerating first-time travelers by upwards of 3,000 people a year will be felt across the fleet over time,” he explained.

According to Lindblad’s Interim CFO Dyson Dryden, the company plans to close the previously announced purchase of the two vessels in January 2025.

“We’ve already begun adding bookings for the National and Geographic Gemini and the National Geographic Delfina ships to effectively use the time period between signing and closing,” he said.

On closing, the ships will undergo revitalization, after which they will begin operations late in the first quarter of 2025, Dryden added.

“We continue to explore additional growth opportunities in the year ahead and including diversifying our own product portfolio or opportunistically expanding our fleet to capitalize on the continued growth in demand for experiential travel.”