After first debuting on the European rivers on August 5, 1997, Viking is celebrating its twenty fifth anniversary right this moment.
In a ready video, the corporate’s Founder and Chairman Torstein Hagen celebrated the milestone, reflecting on the historical past and the way forward for the model.
“We needed Viking to be completely different. We had a imaginative and prescient that journey could possibly be extra vacation spot centered and cultural enriching,” he mentioned noting that the corporate “invented” the class of recent river voyages.
“With the introduction of our small-ship ocean voyages in 2015, we reinvented the class and introduced the main target again to the locations. Within the years since, we constructed an equivalent fleet of chic, all-veranda sister ships,” Hagen recalled.
Viking presently operates a fleet of seven ocean cruise ships, with eight additional vessels ordered.
Hagen additionally talked about the introduction of the corporate’s expedition product earlier this 12 months, with the debut of the Viking Octantis in Antarctica.
“We’re perfecting expedition voyages and taking company even additional to a number of the most pristine locations of the world,” he mentioned.
With its three merchandise, Viking at the moment has 10,000 workers and sails to twenty rivers, 5 oceans, 5 nice lakes and all seven continents, Hagen added.
Trying on the future, he highlighted the addition of a second expedition ship, the Viking Polaris, which is ready to enter service this 12 months.
By the top of the 12 months, Viking can also be introducing new river vessels on the Mekong, the Nile and the Mississippi.
“We are going to convey our fashionable river voyages to America for the primary time with the arrival of the Viking Mississippi,” he defined.
At present underneath building in Louisiana, the brand new 386-guest vessel will sail on the Decrease and Higher Mississippi River, with cruises between New Orleans and St. Paul.
“Now we have come actually far in these 25 years, however I believe now we have a lot additional to go,” Hagen mentioned.
