“This sustained strength in demand for our product presents compelling opportunities to strategically expand our capacity, including through newbuilds and charter partnerships,” said Natalya Leahy, CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, speaking on the company’s third quarter earnings call.
“To that end, we’ve continued to strategically expand our charter offerings. Our inaugural European river cruising program exceeded expectations, prompting us to increase the number of voyages for 2027,” she added.
“We’ve added spring and summer departures as well as new in-demand Christmas market and holiday sailing offerings. In fact, we just announced our 2027 river collections this morning, including European, Egypt, India and Vietnam itineraries. Charters provide a very efficient capital-light approach to enter high-demand markets for the right season. We’re also actively evaluating accretive acquisitions both within the Lindblad and the Land segment.”
CFO Rick Goldberg added: “With a stronger balance sheet and ample liquidity, we’re well positioned to aggressively pursue accretive growth opportunities. Including fleet expansion through charters, acquisitions, and or newbuilds and adding to our portfolio of world-class land-based experiences.”
Chartering a ship is a good way to expand capacity in a specific destination, but it comes with limitations, Leahy explained.
“We are definitely looking at the buying existing tonnage if we find something that is accretive as a return on investment and satisfies our brand criteria, and we are evaluating new deals and opportunities,” Leahy said.
