Havila Voyages made its first visit to Australia since launching in 2021, joining Beyond Travel and Finnair for a trade event as the Norwegian coastal cruise line looks to strengthen its presence in the market.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Held at Mj\u00f8lner in Sydney last night, the exclusive trade event brought together close to 100 key Beyond Travel advisors for an evening of product updates and Nordic-themed festivities.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Matthew Valentine, global head of sales at Havila Voyages, told Travel Weekly<\/em> that Australia was a key market for the family-owned operator, accounting for around 12 to 15 per cent of its business alongside key markets including Germany, the US, UK and Switzerland.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s<\/span> definitely one<\/span> of our focus countries. <\/span>This is the first time we\u2019ve had boots on the ground here from a sales point of view,\u201d Valentine said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While Havila may be a relatively new name in the Australian market, Valentine said the product offered several points of difference for advisors to communicate to clients considering a Norwegian coastal voyage.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe have the newest ships operating along the coastline, and the most sustainable ships,\u201d he said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Operating four identical ships along Norway\u2019s historic coastal route between Bergen and Kirkenes, Havila accommodates around 300\u2013330 passengers on a full sailing, with a focus on spacious cabins, contemporary design and sustainability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Valentine said the vessels had been \u201cbuilt very much with modern tastes in mind\u201d, with larger cabins than those traditionally available on the route.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Sustainability is central to Havila\u2019s offering, with the plug-in hybrid ships using liquefied natural gas (LNG) and transitioning towards biogas, with a target of achieving zero-carbon operations by 2028. The vessels also operate on battery power alone through UNESCO World Heritage fjords, offering a near-silent sailing experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re going along, you can hear the waterfalls crashing down the side of the cliffs,\u201d Valentine said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The company has also exceeded the emissions reduction requirements attached to its Norwegian government contract, according to Valentine, with reductions of 37 per cent against a target of 25 per cent.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n He said sustainability extended beyond environmental performance to sustaining employment and local communities along Norway\u2019s coastline. <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s a many-faceted thing,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Food is another key differentiator, with all meals served \u00e0 la carte rather than through buffets or set menus, helping to improve table service while reducing waste.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOur focus is also very much on the culinary aspect,\u201d Valentine said, noting<\/span>\u00a0that the approach minimised food being prepared but ultimately left uneaten.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Finnair regional manager for Australia and New Zealand, Sue Watts, outlined the airline\u2019s upcoming Melbourne\u2013Bangkok\u2013Helsinki service, marking its first scheduled flights departing directly from Australia.<\/p>\n \u201cVery excitingly, next week we\u2019re going to be launching our first flights direct out of Australia ever,\u201d Watts said.<\/p>\n The service will stop in Bangkok for refuelling and cleaning before continuing to Helsinki, offering Australian travellers another connection into Scandinavia.<\/p>\n Groups By Beyond general manager Alana Hunt highlighted the company\u2019s ability to support advisors with group travel across a range of destinations, from small private experiences to larger departures.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTravel is really craving connection, and the best way to connect people is to have them travel as a group,\u201d Hunt said.<\/p>\n She emphasised that Groups By Beyond handles everything for advisors from start to finish, including marketing. \u201cFor those who work in smaller agencies who don\u2019t have a marketing team, we can be an extension of your business.\u201d<\/p>\n With new flight connections, small-ship cruising and tailored group experiences on the table, the evening equipped advisors with product knowledge and support to grow their Scandinavian offerings.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n kabarsula SLOT <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Havila Voyages made its first visit to Australia since launching in 2021, joining Beyond Travel…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kabarsula"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kabarsula.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Beyond](\"https:\/\/travelweekly.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/prez-1024x768.png\"\/)
![\"Beyond](\"https:\/\/travelweekly.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/prez-1024x768.png\")
Havila Voyages\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"From](\"https:\/\/travelweekly.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Groups-by-Beyond-Beyond-Travel_Alana-Hunt_Matt-Symmonds_-Frank-Levey-1024x768.png\"\/)
![\"From](\"https:\/\/travelweekly.com.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Groups-by-Beyond-Beyond-Travel_Alana-Hunt_Matt-Symmonds_-Frank-Levey-1024x768.png\")
Increased connectivity and support for advisors\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n