Natalya Leahy, CEO of Lindblad Expeditions Holdings, said that the company’s Explorers-in-Training program, which was recently relaunched, has generated positive results.

Speaking on the company’s third-quarter earnings call, Leahy said: “In partnership with National Geographic, we successfully relaunched our youth travel program called Explorers in Training, targeting core family friendly destinations.”

“This program, combined with other marketing initiatives to drive multigenerational travel, has generated encouraging early results with travelers 18 years and younger increasing 24 percent this summer versus prior summer,” Leahy added.

She explained that the company’s efforts will drive occupancy and yield optimization in family friendly destinations, such as the Galapagos, Alaska and Iceland.

Formerly known as National Geographic Global Explorers, the program was first developed and launched in 2017 in conjunction with National Geographic Education.

The program aims to help young travelers ignite their passion for exploration, conservation and storytelling through hands-on experiences aboard.

According to Lindblad, the program is led by a Certified Field Educator and supported by National Geographic Photography Experts, undersea specialists and naturalists.

Leahy added that the Disney Vacation Club (DVC) activation continues gaining momentum as DVC members can now redeem points for National Geographic Lindblad Expedition Cruises.

“Our Expedition team had an opportunity to sail with and present our brand to guests of the 4,000 passenger Disney Dream, generating not only immediate bookings for members but also significant interest and leads,” Leahy stated.

“This represents the beginning of a significant opportunity to introduce expedition cruising to DVCs most loyal and engaged member base,” she added.