Company Description

Viking was founded in 1997 with four river vessels and a simple vision that travel could be more destination-focused and culturally immersive. Today, we have grown into one of the world’s leading travel companies, with a fleet of 92 small, state-of-the-art ships, which we view as floating hotels. From our iconic journeys on the world’s great rivers, including our new Mississippi River itineraries, to our ocean voyages around the globe and our extraordinary expeditions to the ends of the earth, we offer meaningful travel experiences on all seven continents in all three categories of the cruise industry—river, ocean and expedition cruising. River Ocean Expedition Mississippi 80 River Vessels 9 Ocean Ships 2 Expedition Ships 1 Time-Chartered River Ship 18 to be delivered by 2026; 6 to be delivered by 2028; 378 Guests 386 Guests 8 Option Contracts 4 Option Contracts Average Age: 2 Years Age: 1 Year 190 Guests 930 to 998 Guests Average Age: 9 Years Average Age: 4 Years Note: The average age is as of December 31, 2023. --- With more than 450 awards to our name, we are a leader in the industry and were rated #1 for Rivers, #1 for Oceans (for ships sized 500 to 2,500 berths) and #1 for Expeditions by Condé Nast Traveler in the 2023 Readers’ Choice Awards. This is the first time a travel company has been voted #1 in all three categories simultaneously. --- We have generated rapid growth driven by strong demand for our products and a highly differentiated guest experience, resulting in industry-leading capacity growth and the proven ability to expand our travel platform with new destinations and experiences. From 2015 to 2023, our total number of guests, total revenue, net income and Adjusted EBITDA grew at CAGRs of 10.1%, 14.4%, NM and 16.3%, respectively. We have grown faster than the overall cruise industry since 2015 to become the market leader in river cruising and luxury ocean cruising, demonstrating our ability to succeed in each new category we have entered. For the 2023 season, our North American outbound river market share was 51%, our luxury ocean market share was 26%, our Antarctic expedition market share was 12% and our Mississippi river market share was 20%. --- For the year ended December 31, 2023, nearly 650,000 guests traveled with us, and we generated total revenue of $4,710.5 million, a net loss of $1,858.6 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $1,090.3 million. As of December 31, 2023, we had $1.5 billion of cash and cash equivalents and $5.4 billion of Total Debt. We have also generated industry-leading ROIC of 27.5% for the year ended December 31, 2023, up from 26.1% for the year ended December 31, 2019. Our payback period for a Longship is on average approximately four to five years based on contributions to operations by a Longship. Our payback period for an ocean ship is on average about five to six years based on contributions to operations by an ocean ship. We believe we are well-positioned for future growth. To address the strong demand from our guests, we have ordered 18 new river vessels for delivery through 2026 and six new ocean ships for delivery through 2028. THE VIKING DIFFERENCE 1. One Brand: Among our guests and across the industry, the Viking brand is synonymous with excellence. Our guests can experience all three categories of the cruise industry—ocean, river and expedition cruising— under our single brand. Rather than creating a conglomerate of different brands, all of our products are a consistent extension of the Viking brand. As a result, our marketing spend and strong brand loyalty drive growth for all of our products. We also leverage our strong brand loyalty for future product launches, with over 60% of bookings for each of the inaugural seasons for Viking Ocean, Viking Expedition and Viking Mississippi made by past guests. Our guests know they can expect a consistent, excellent experience on each voyage they take with us, which has allowed us to expand our travel platform successfully with new destinations and experiences. Our repeat guest percentage has steadily increased over time from 27% for the 2015 season to 51% for the 2023 season. 2. Identical Small Ships: Our fleet includes 58 identical Longships accommodating 190 passengers, nine identical ocean ships accommodating 930 passengers and two identical expedition ships accommodating 378 passengers. Within each product, our ships are indistinguishable to our guests. This simplifies the sales and marketing process as potential guests shop by itinerary versus by specific ship or age of ship, and it allows older ships to achieve similar yields, even when introducing new ships. Identical ships also create operational flexibility, as well as efficiencies around shipbuilding, maintenance and crew, which improves our margins. Our small ships can dock in ports where larger ships cannot, providing our guests more time ashore for cultural discovery and exploration and offering our guests experiences they cannot have with other cruise lines. 3. Clearly Defined, Destination-Focused Experience: We are the only cruise line offering experiences on all seven continents with itineraries across five oceans, 21 rivers and five lakes, and a focus primarily on destinations in Europe and the Mediterranean, rather than the Caribbean. We deliver a highly differentiated experience for our guests by prioritizing exploration of the destination versus onboard consumption and traditional entertainment. The Viking experience is well-defined and all-inclusive, with a shore excursion included in every port. We are also known for the things that we do not do. For example, no children under 18, no casinos and no hidden ancillary costs, such as charges for alternative restaurants, wi-fi or beer and wine at lunch and dinner. Because of these strategic choices, our guests instantly recognize the Viking way of travel. --- 4. Clear Customer Focus: We are intently focused on the travel needs of our core demographic of curious, affluent, English-speaking travelers aged 55 years and older, which is an attractive segment of the travel market. We believe we know our core demographic better than anyone else in the industry and we have tailored our products to specifically address the travel needs of the Thinking Person. We attract individuals seeking travel experiences that offer cultural insight and personal enrichment. 5. Strong Direct Marketing: Since 1997, we have invested $2.8 billion in all aspects of marketing, most of which is direct marketing spend. This investment has helped build and solidify the value of our brand with our target market. Our marketing database includes more than 56 million North American households, including 1.5 million households that have traveled with us before. We generate our own demand through our direct marketing, which allows us to obtain industry-leading early booking rates. Our marketing also drives direct bookings. For the year ended December 31, 2023, more than 50% of our guests booked directly with us. 6. Only Pure-Play Luxury Public Cruise Line: Viking will be the only pure-play luxury public cruise line. In contrast, the large public cruise lines have multiple brands that serve all three categories of the cruise market, with luxury representing only a small percentage of their overall capacity. Our total revenue per passenger was $7,251 for the year ended December 31, 2023. Viking defines the luxury category of the river cruise and ocean cruise markets. We believe these are the most attractive segments of the cruise industry and the global luxury leisure travel market given their growth potential. --- Viking Holdings Ltd is incorporated in Bermuda as an exempted company. Our registered office is located at Clarendon House, 2 Church Street, Hamilton HM 11, Bermuda, and our principal executive offices are located at 94 Pitts Bay Road, Pembroke, Bermuda HM 08. Our telephone number is (441) 478-2244. We maintain the following website: www.viking.com.