Quark Expeditions is preparing a broader Middle East push focused on trade education, influencer partnerships, familiarisation opportunities and sustained communications as it works to build awareness of polar expedition cruising across the GCC.
Quark Expeditions is preparing a broader Middle East push focused on trade education, influencer partnerships, familiarisation opportunities and sustained communications as it works to build awareness of polar expedition cruising across the GCC.
Speaking to The Cruise News Middle East at Arabian Travel Market 2026, Becky Francis, Director of Sales, EMEA for Quark Expeditions said both expedition cruising and Quark’s polar-only proposition remain at an early stage of development in the region.
Francis described Quark’s position as “a niche within a niche”, reflecting the brand’s exclusive focus on the polar regions within the already specialised expedition sector.
Turning curiosity into product confidence
Francis said conversations at ATM showed strong curiosity from travel advisors, many of whom were encountering polar expedition cruising in greater depth for the first time. Some advisors, she said, already associate expedition travel with destinations such as the Galápagos or parts of Africa, but have not necessarily considered Antarctica or the Arctic for their clients. That creates an education challenge, particularly when they are working with well-travelled, high-net-worth customers looking for experiences beyond more familiar cruise and luxury holiday products.
Quark’s approach is to lead with the destination and make the product easier to understand. Francis pointed to experiences including camping, helicopter activities and landings on Greenland’s ice sheet as examples of what can help advisors visualise the scope of a polar journey. She also argued that the expedition sector needs greater use of video, imagery and storytelling to build awareness among both the trade and consumers.
Quark outlines regional investment
Over the next 12 months, Quark plans further Middle East activity spanning influencer partnerships, agent education, ship visits, familiarisation opportunities and PR and trade-media engagement.
“We are massively going to invest time, resource and energy into this market over the next 12 months for sure,” Francis said.
At ATM, Quark also offered an incentive under which an agent making one booking could enter a draw for a familiarisation trip for two. Francis said first-hand experience is particularly valuable for a product that can be difficult to understand without seeing the ships or destinations directly. She also floated the possibility of using Emirates’ forthcoming Dubai–Helsinki service to support future ship visits or mini-FAM opportunities for regional agents. No partnership has been announced. Emirates is scheduled to launch its daily Dubai–Helsinki service on 1 October 2026.
Beyond individual bookings
Francis sees potential extending beyond FIT travel. She identified multigenerational family travel, group business, MICE and full-ship charters as areas worth exploring in the region. Quark already sees whole-ship charter activity from Asian markets including India, Hong Kong and Japan, she said, and believes similar possibilities could emerge in the Middle East as awareness develops. Francis described Asia as probably Quark’s largest source region overall and said she sees the GCC as an affluent, highly travelled market looking for new experiences.
For Quark, the immediate challenge is therefore not simply introducing another cruise product. It is making polar expedition travel understandable enough for advisors to introduce it confidently to customers who may never previously have considered the Arctic or Antarctica.
The company’s planned investment suggests that education and awareness will form a significant part of its Middle East growth strategy over the coming year.
More from ATM 2026: Read Cruise at ATM 2026: The Industry View, TCN’s flagship analysis of the trends, trade priorities and market opportunities emerging from this year’s show.
Source: This interview was conducted by The Cruise News Middle East editor-in-chief Sini Jerome at Arabian Travel Market 2026 in Dubai.
