Hurtigruten has strengthened its Asia-Pacific sales presence with the appointment of two new key account managers, Lauren Zischke and Rebecca Setchell, as the company prepares for continued growth into 2026.

Zischke and Setchell bring a combined 42 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry and will focus on supporting trade partners while driving sales growth across the region.

Hurtigruten APAC Managing Director Damian Perry said the appointments reflect the company’s confidence in the market and its commitment to investing in people.

“We have seen outstanding growth in 2025 under the new independent and focused model for Hurtigruten, including product expansion across our comprehensive, owned Svalbard operation, expanded Nordic tour program, premium all inclusive Signature cruise range with a doubling of capacity in 2026, as well as continued growth on our core Coastal program,” he said.

“We are investing in our team to build a strong, talented and proactive taskforce to meet the market demand and deliver best in class service and support to our industry partners.”

In their roles, the pair will be responsible for developing and managing both new and existing relationships with travel agents, helping to accelerate revenue and ensure agents are well equipped to sell Hurtigruten’s range of products. Both have been recognised by the National Travel Industry Awards (NTIA) for their contributions to the sector, underscoring their depth of experience and industry standing.

Prior to joining Hurtigruten, Zischke held senior business development and relationship management roles at TAG, Wyndham Destinations and most recently APT Travel Group. Meanwhile, Setchell brings extensive experience across corporate, luxury and leisure travel, having previously held roles with AAT Kings and Bunnik Tours.

Hurtigruten has confirmed further investment in its business development team, with additional roles to be announced in the coming months.