Viking Cruises is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year having been founded by Torstein Hagen in 1997.

To commemorate its 20th anniversary, Viking has released a new video in which Founder and Chairman Torstein Hagen reflects on the company’s history, from its start with four river vessels in Russia and the launch of the revolutionary Viking Longships – to the introduction of Viking Ocean Cruises.

“Twenty years ago, river cruising was unknown to most North American travelers, and today we are proud that Viking is a household name. We have spent more than $1 billion marketing the concept of destination-focused cruising,” said Torstein Hagen. “We lead the river cruise industry, and with our ocean cruises, we have transported the intimacy of a river cruise onto the open seas. With the arrival of our sixth ocean ship in 2019, we will be the largest small ship ocean cruise line, and we look forward to introducing even more guests to the Viking way of travel.”

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