HX Expeditions’ Alex McNeil Lights Up the Room at TMP Calgary

Expedition cruising has come a long way from converted research vessels, spartan accommodations and passengers sliding across the floor during lectures in rough seas.

That was part of the message from veteran expedition leader and HX Expeditions Cruise Ambassador Alex McNeil during a lively and well-received presentation to travel advisors at Travel Market Place Calgary.

Celebrating its 130th anniversary, HX Expeditions is positioning today’s expedition experience as a balance of adventure, comfort, education and meaningful interaction with the communities travellers visit.

“At HX, it’s our objective to change the way that you and your clients see the world,” McNeil told attendees.

McNeil knows the expedition world intimately. During more than 20 years in the industry, he has completed roughly 200 expeditions, including about 100 to Antarctica, travelled extensively in Greenland and northern Canada, and made 14 journeys to the geographic North Pole.

He joked that when consumers hear the words “expedition cruising,” they can have wildly different ideas about what awaits them. “Cruising” might conjure images of floating cities, casinos and parties, while “expedition” can suggest hardship, danger and freezing temperatures.

Neither, he said, accurately describes the modern HX experience.

Balancing Adventure, Comfort & Education

McNeil said HX differentiates itself through three pillars: its long history in expedition travel, experiences designed for curious travellers and what the company calls “mindful adventure.”

Those elements come together in HX’s “perfect balance” philosophy — combining off-ship exploration with comfortable accommodations and a strong science and education component.

HX operates five expedition vessels, with MS Roald Amundsen and MS Fridtjof Nansen serving as its flagships.

Rather than giving prime real estate to casinos or shopping promenades, McNeil said HX has made its onboard science centres central to the experience. Guests can use microscopes, examine specimens, meet researchers conducting active studies and, in some cases, participate in scientific projects themselves.

The goal is to give greater context to what travellers encounter ashore.

“It’s the beating heart of the ship,” McNeil said of the science centre.

A Community-Centric Approach

McNeil discussed another critical component of the HX philosophy: ensuring communities are participants in tourism rather than simply attractions viewed by visitors.

He pointed to a tourism-development project in Ittoqqortoormiit, a remote community in northeast Greenland with a population of roughly 350.

McNeil said about 40 ships were visiting the community annually, but the average local economic benefit amounted to only about €10 per visitor, with just six residents directly involved in ship visits.

With support from the HX Foundation, a five-person team — four of them Inuit tourism professionals — worked with residents to develop tourism experiences from the community’s own perspective.

According to McNeil, within a year the economic benefit had risen to approximately €150 per visitor and 175 residents — about half the community — were involved with tourism in some capacity.

The distinction matters at a time when destinations around the world are reconsidering their relationship with tourism, he said.

“There are a few of us out there that are really pushing the limits. There’s a long way to go, but progress is our priority.”

For advisors, McNeil suggested that how tourism companies interact with destinations should be part of the conversation when deciding which products to recommend to clients.

Antarctica for Different Abilities & Interests

Antarctica remains a cornerstone of HX’s program, with voyages typically beginning with a stay in Buenos Aires before guests fly south to Ushuaia to board their expedition ship and cross the Drake Passage.

Once on the continent, HX’s base-camp approach offers activities suited to varying interests and abilities, including kayaking, hiking, camping, Zodiac cruising, wildlife viewing and participation in science programs.

“You can find moments of absolute serenity,” McNeil said.

The Magic of Greenland

But it was Greenland that generated some of McNeil’s greatest enthusiasm.

Four of HX’s five ships operate there, with Amundsen and Nansen exploring the west coast and smaller ships serving the more remote east.

McNeil described Greenland as being at a transformational point in the development of its tourism industry, aided by new aviation infrastructure that is making the destination more accessible.

While Greenland’s icebergs, mountains and wildlife are obvious attractions, McNeil argued that its communities are ultimately the destination’s greatest asset.

“The real stars of the show are the local communities scattered along the shoreline,” he said.

That connection also gives travel to Greenland a broader significance, McNeil argued, as the territory considers its long-term political and economic future and looks to tourism as one avenue for greater economic self-reliance.

For travellers, however, McNeil said the appeal can be distilled into something much simpler: a combination of adventure, discovery, reverence and human connection.

“When you’re in Greenland, you get a feeling of magic,” he said.

For the 300 travel advisors in the Calgary TMP audience, McNeil’s closing challenge was straightforward: think beyond the clients who already identify themselves as adventure travellers.

The next expedition customer, the presentation suggested, may simply be the client who hasn’t been asked yet.