AE Expeditions has achieved B Corp status, which its chief executive said “solidifies our position as a purpose-driven organisation”.

In an interview with Travel Weekly, Michael Heath praised the effort the cruise line’s staff put into the B Corp application process, which took three years from start to finish.

To achieve B Corp status, Heath said the line was assessed on the way it supports its workers, the environment, its governance, its customers and the impact it has on the communities it visits, all of which were deemed accredit worthy.

He said he is “immensely proud” of the certification which proves the line’s “commitment to responsible and respectful travel” to its customers, he added.

“We’ve worked hard to embed sustainability throughout the business so pursuing B Corp certification was a natural step to take from a desire to solidify our position as a purpose-driven organisation,” he said. “To have an external party validate a lot of the things we’d already been doing as a business was fantastic.

“We take responsible travel and sustainability very seriously and it’s great to join a global community of people committed to a similar approach.

“A lot of people in the travel industry are doing really good things and if B Corp certification is something they want to do, we would really encourage that.”

Heath reported AE Expeditions had made a “really strong start” to 2024, and he is “excited” for the year ahead.

He praised the importance of the UK trade and credited agents’ expertise for the line’s 53% increase in trade sales in 2023 compared to 2022, suggesting additional staff may be recruited if growth continues at current levels.

Polar expeditions are leading the way for sales, he said, before hinting AE Expeditions will release new Antarctica itineraries for the 2025-26 winter season, with sailings departing on Greg Mortimer, Sylvia Earle and the line’s as yet unnamed third ship which is scheduled to enter service next year.

“The UK trade is really important to us,” he said. “We have a great team and additional staffing is something we’re continuing to look at. As the UK market continues to flourish, we will grow.

“Looking to the year ahead, we want to keep working to maintain our B Corp status plus we’re really looking forward to the launch of our third vessel.”