Australia-based expedition cruise specialist Aurora Expeditions is sharpening its focus on the United States and Canada with the appointment of its first dedicated trade marketing director for North America, a move that underscores the company’s ambition to accelerate growth in one of the world’s most competitive cruise and adventure travel markets.

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New Trade Marketing Director Signals U.S. Growth Push

Aurora Expeditions has named seasoned industry executive Sue Haefner as director of trade marketing, North America, a newly created role that will concentrate on driving awareness and demand for the brand across the United States and Canada through the travel advisor channel.

Based in New Jersey and reporting to chief marketing officer Katie Malone, Haefner officially stepped into the position in early January 2026.

The appointment formalizes a stronger North American trade strategy for the Australian company, which has been steadily expanding its regional sales presence and capacity over the past two years.

While Aurora has long carried North American guests on its polar itineraries, the new role is designed to ensure that travel advisors, consortia and key accounts receive targeted support, dedicated marketing resources and clearer communication from the brand.

For Aurora, which built its reputation pioneering small-ship expeditions in Antarctica and the Arctic, North America represents both a fast-growing customer base and a sophisticated trade environment. The decision to install a director of trade marketing specifically for the region reflects a recognition that advisors in the United States and Canada play an outsized role in selling complex expedition product and require localized campaigns, training and tools to be effective.

Industry Veteran With Deep Expedition Cruise Experience

Haefner arrives at Aurora Expeditions with a background that closely tracks the company’s own niche: small-ship, conservation-led exploration. Most recently, she served as manager of trade support and advertising at National Geographic – Lindblad Expeditions, where she worked on trade marketing initiatives, co-branded campaigns and advisor-focused programs for expedition itineraries worldwide.

Her earlier career includes roles with major travel and hospitality brands, giving her a blend of front-line trade experience and big-brand marketing discipline. Colleagues describe her strengths as advisor engagement, trade advertising and strategic partnerships, all areas that Aurora has identified as critical to scaling its presence across North America’s highly fragmented agency landscape.

By appointing a director-level trade marketer who already understands the nuances of the expedition cruise segment, Aurora is effectively shortening its learning curve in markets where competition from both legacy cruise lines and newer adventure-focused operators has intensified. Haefner’s familiarity with the priorities of North American advisors, including commission structures, marketing co-op expectations and education needs, is likely to accelerate Aurora’s integration into top-selling expedition portfolios.

Building on Recent North American Sales Expansion

The creation of the trade marketing director role follows a series of appointments that have bolstered Aurora’s sales capabilities in the United States and Canada. In mid-2025, the line expanded its North American team with additional sales directors focused on key U.S. regions and key accounts, moves that signaled a longer-term commitment to the trade in this part of the world.

Those sales hires were tasked primarily with territory management, account development and revenue growth, particularly through retail agencies, host networks and consortia partners. Haefner’s remit sits alongside those efforts but zeroes in on the marketing side of the trade equation: advisor-facing campaigns, co-branded materials, trade incentives, and a cohesive messaging strategy tailored to North American audiences.

Industry observers note that this two-pronged structure of field sales and centralized trade marketing is increasingly common among premium and expedition cruise brands seeking to compete for agent mindshare. In Aurora’s case, the combination indicates an intent not only to open more doors with agencies, but also to sustain engagement through regular communication, educational content and promotional support once those relationships are in place.

Advisor-Focused Strategy: Education, Engagement and Incentives

Aurora Expeditions has made clear that Haefner’s priorities will center on strengthening relationships with travel advisors and elevating the tools they have to sell complex expedition product. Early focus areas are expected to include enhanced training resources, more sophisticated use of the company’s travel advisor portal and expanded opportunities for co-operative marketing with high-producing partners.

The brand has already invested in trade-facing technology and content solutions, including a partnership with marketing platform providers that allows advisors to access ready-made, co-brandable content showcasing itineraries, destinations and promotions. Under Haefner’s direction, that ecosystem of assets is likely to grow, with a sharper focus on U.S. and Canadian consumer preferences, distribution structures and booking patterns.

Trade incentives are also set to play a prominent role. In line with wider expedition-cruise trends, Aurora has been using contests, booking challenges and familiarization voyages to motivate advisors and to give them first-hand experience of life on board its small ships. The new trade marketing director will coordinate such initiatives across the region, helping ensure that offers, giveaways and fam-trip opportunities align with key selling periods, new itinerary launches and North American wave campaigns.

Leveraging B Corp Status and Sustainability Credentials

Aurora Expeditions positions itself as a leader in responsible expedition travel, with certified B Corporation status and a longstanding emphasis on conservation, scientific collaboration and low-impact operations. For North American advisors, those credentials have become a powerful differentiator as clients increasingly demand verifiable sustainability commitments from cruise and tour brands.

One of Haefner’s opportunities will be to translate Aurora’s technical and operational sustainability story into clear, compelling messaging that advisors can use in client conversations. That includes highlighting the line’s small-ship fleet, shore excursion philosophy, citizen-science programs and partnerships with environmental organizations, all of which appeal strongly to travelers seeking immersive yet responsible experiences in fragile polar regions.

In the crowded U.S. adventure travel space, where many operators now advertise eco-friendly practices, the ability to point to formal certifications and measurable impact can be a deciding factor. Trade marketing campaigns that foreground Aurora’s B Corp accreditation and its three-decade record of polar operations are expected to resonate with advisors whose clients want assurance that their expedition purchase aligns with their values.

Experiential Product Tailored to North American Demand

Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Australia, Aurora Expeditions has grown from a specialist polar outfitter into a global experiential travel company with voyages across all seven continents. Its core proposition remains small-ship expeditions in Antarctica and the Arctic, complemented by itineraries in remote regions such as South Georgia, the Falkland Islands, Svalbard and select warmer-water destinations.

For North American travelers, these itineraries tap into strong demand for bucket-list experiences, multigenerational adventure travel and once-in-a-lifetime trips that justify premium price points. The company’s emphasis on off-ship time, guided Zodiac excursions, active options like kayaking and trekking, and on-board experts aligns well with a U.S. and Canadian audience increasingly seeking deeper engagement with destinations rather than traditional, entertainment-led cruising.

From a trade perspective, this experiential focus offers advisors a differentiated product to present to clients who may already have sailed mainstream ocean lines or visited classic land-based destinations. Aurora’s marketing teams in North America will be looking to equip partners with the narratives, imagery and training to position expedition cruising as a natural next step for sophisticated travelers, adventure seekers and environmentally conscious guests.

Competitive Landscape in a Hot Expedition Segment

Aurora’s enhanced North American trade marketing effort comes at a time when the expedition cruise category is one of the most dynamic segments in global cruising. Over the past decade, a wave of new ships and brands has entered the market, many targeting the same affluent, experience-driven traveler that Aurora has traditionally served from its Australian base.

Major global cruise companies now operate purpose-built expedition vessels focused on Antarctica, the Arctic and other remote regions, supported by sizable marketing budgets and strong agency relationships. At the same time, there remains a cohort of smaller, highly specialized operators with deep polar expertise and loyal repeat guests. For advisors, the abundance of choice can be both a selling advantage and a source of complexity.

Against this backdrop, Aurora’s strategy appears to hinge on combining its pioneering polar credentials with a more deliberate North American trade presence. By putting a dedicated trade marketing leader in place, supported by an expanding field sales team, the company is betting it can secure a larger share of advisor attention and capture clients who might otherwise look to better-known global brands for their first expedition voyage.

What It Means for U.S. Travel Advisors

For travel advisors in the United States and Canada, the appointment of a North America-focused trade marketing director is likely to translate into more structured support and clearer points of contact. Agents can expect increased access to co-branded collateral, customizable content for their own marketing channels and regular updates on promotions, wave offers and new deployment.

Education is set to be another pillar, with webinars, in-person presentations and digital learning tools targeting both generalist advisors curious about expedition cruising and specialists looking to deepen their product knowledge. Given the complexities of polar itineraries, ship capabilities, seasonal variations and safety considerations, such training can be critical to advisors’ confidence in recommending the product.

Advisors closely aligned with the expedition and luxury sectors may also see more opportunities for joint consumer events, targeted direct-mail or email campaigns and priority access to familiarization sailings. Aurora’s leadership has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the trade in its global strategy, and the elevation of trade marketing to a named director role in North America reinforces that message to partners across the region.

FAQ

Q1. Who is Aurora Expeditions’ new trade marketing director for North America?
Sue Haefner has been appointed as Aurora Expeditions’ director of trade marketing, North America, leading advisor-focused marketing efforts across the United States and Canada.

Q2. When was the new North American trade marketing role announced?
The appointment was announced in early January 2026 as part of Aurora Expeditions’ broader push to grow its presence and sales in the North American market.

Q3. Where is the new director of trade marketing based?
Haefner is based in New Jersey, positioning her close to a large cluster of U.S. travel agencies, consortia headquarters and key industry events on the East Coast.

Q4. What will the trade marketing director focus on for the U.S. and Canada?
The role is centered on strengthening relationships with travel advisors, supporting education and engagement initiatives, and delivering targeted trade marketing programs that drive awareness and bookings across North America.

Q5. How does this appointment fit into Aurora’s North American strategy?
The new position complements an expanded regional sales team, creating a combined structure of field sales and centralized trade marketing designed to deepen agency partnerships and boost market share.

Q6. Why is North America important for Aurora Expeditions?
North America is one of the largest and fastest-growing source markets for expedition cruising, with a mature travel advisor community and a strong appetite among travelers for experiential, bucket-list journeys to polar and remote destinations.

Q7. What kind of travel product does Aurora Expeditions offer?
Aurora specializes in small-ship expedition cruises with a focus on Antarctica, the Arctic and other remote regions, offering immersive shore activities, expert-led enrichment and a strong emphasis on responsible, low-impact travel.

Q8. How will travel advisors benefit from Aurora’s trade marketing push?
Advisors can expect enhanced access to marketing collateral, co-branded content, training, incentives and familiarization opportunities tailored specifically to the U.S. and Canadian markets.

Q9. What role does sustainability play in Aurora’s positioning to North American clients?
Aurora uses its B Corp certification and long history of conservation-focused operations as key selling points, giving advisors concrete sustainability credentials to highlight when recommending the brand to environmentally conscious travelers.

Q10. How can U.S.-based advisors start working more closely with Aurora Expeditions?
Advisors can engage through the company’s advisor portal, connect with regional sales contacts and participate in upcoming marketing programs and training initiatives that will be coordinated under the new North American trade marketing structure.