March 10, 2021 Shared from cruiseindustrynews.com

Lindblad Explorer

“We have canceled all voyages through the end of May, but remain optimistic that we will return to the operation in June with a focus on Alaska, Galápagos and Iceland,” Sven Lindblad, CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, speaking on the company’s earnings call on Tuesday.

Lindblad said vaccinations will also help accelerate demand.

“Looking ahead, we are already well positioned with strong bookings for the back half of the year and throughout 2022,” he noted.

CFO Craig Felenstein noted: “On the voyages canceled and rescheduled thus far, which primarily includes expeditions through the end of May, the majority of our guests continue to opt for future travel credits as opposed to full refunds. And as I mentioned last call, our refund exposure is significantly lower moving forward as the majority of our unearned revenue is for travel where the guests have already decided on their future travel plans …  we are also seeing strong new bookings from both returning guests as well as new audiences. And we have only just begun to market in earnest, focusing on digital targeting and social opportunities as well as increased outreach through trade advertising and travel advisers.”