Quark Expeditions has announced its new global membership in the Cruise Lines International Association (Clia), the world’s largest cruise industry trade association.

Andrew White, Quark Expeditions president, said: “We’re extremely proud to be a new member of Clia, an industry association whose values are so closely aligned with ours.

“Clia supports policies and practices that foster a secure, healthy, and sustainable cruise environment, promoting positive travel experiences for guests around the world.

“That mission mirrors the values that have fuelled the passion and expertise of Quark Expeditions since we took our very first guests to the North Pole in 1991.

“One of our main drivers at Quark Expeditions is our commitment to ‘go beyond’, a philosophy deeply ingrained in the Clia network of travel professionals.”

Clia represents 95% of the world’s ocean-going cruise capacity, as well as 65,000 global travel agents, and 15,000 of the largest travel agencies in the world.

Kelly Craighead, Clia president and chief executive, said the addition of Quark Expeditions as a global cruise line member helps highlight the growing significance of small-ship expedition cruising within the industry.

“Quark Expeditions has been a pioneer in expedition cruising for more than 30 years, taking guests to the Arctic, Antarctic and other remote destinations,” she said.

“Small-ship expedition cruising is one of the most dynamic and exciting areas of cruising’s growth, so we’re delighted to have Quark Expeditions join our global community at a time when there’s so much energy and innovation in the sector.”

News of its Clia membership follows the announcement of two new trade sales appointments as part of the cruise line’s strategy to “drive global growth”.

The Seattle-headquartered polar cruise specialist has recruited Becky Francis to be EMEA regional sales director, based in London, and promoted US-based Beth Mercier, who has become senior director of global partnership sales.