Hurtigruten Americas More than Doubles Canadian Team
Hurtigruten Americas, which handles both Hurtigruten Expeditions and Hurtigruten Norway, which has operated the legendary Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express since 1893, has more than doubled its Canadian sales team this summer.
The company will now significantly increase its presence in the Canadian travel trade market with greater support and outreach.
Émilie Giguère, Jake Rogers, and Carmen Wakileh have recently joined the Canadian sales team alongside Kristin Erz, Sales Director (Canada) and Carly Biggart, VP Sales (Americas).
“We are so excited to have these three amazing talents join Hurtigruten as we will truly be able to focus much more on the Canadian small-ship cruise and adventure travel market. Their expertise and background will make us stronger and more competitive in this important market where we see nothing but mutual sales growth opportunities with our partners. We know our Canadian guests love the Hurtigruten experience and brand, and we cannot wait to bring that to more Canadian travelers through our travel advisor partners. And for our French Canadian partners, we almost 50 French-escort sailings through 2024 across a variety of destinations that you can offer your clients,” said Kristin Erz, Sales Director, Canada.
The new additions to the Canadian Sales Team include:
Jake Rogers, Business Development Manager, Western Canada
Jake is based in Kelowna and supports British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut
Starting in his native Australia, Jake brings over a decade of experience in travel and tourism, most recently working with Rezgo and Air New Zealand. His first experience with Hurtigruten Expeditions was Alaska.
Émilie Giguère, Business Development Manager, Eastern Canada
Émilie is based just outside of Montreal supporting Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, PEI, Newfoundland & Labrador
She comes with 20 years of experience in the travel industry, most recently working with Tahiti Tourisme North America and Princess Cruises, and Cunard Line. Her first experience with Hurtigruten Expeditions is the Galápagos Islands.
Carmen Wakileh, Inside Sales Representative, Canada
Carmen is based in Toronto supporting the Canadian sales team. She brings 18 years of travel industry experience to the table, including inside sales roles at Transat and Air Canada Vacations. Her first experience with Hurtigruten Expeditions will be an itinerary encompassing Iceland, Greenland, and Canada.
The 49 French escorted itineraries include sailings to Alaska, Antarctica, the Canary Islands, Greenland, Iceland, North America, the Northwest Passage and Arctic Canada, South America, Svalbard, and West Africa, featuring a long list of bucket list destinations and some of the most remote and untouched places in the world.
The journeys range from eight days to 23 days for the longer voyages to Antarctica, the Falklands, and South Georgia, also known as the Ultimate Expedition. All French escorted itineraries can be found here.
