Five reasons agents should get excited about selling river cruise this year
TTG cruise editor Harry Kemble headed to the Clia RiverView conference in Amsterdam this week for a river cruise temperature check, and to see what the sector has in store for the trade.
“River cruise has had its moment for quite a while – but no one was awake.”
That was A-Rosa River Cruises’ UK boss Lucia Rowe’s take when she addressed more than 400 agent delegates at the Clia RiverView conference in Amsterdam this week.
But now it seems the sector is finally waking up.
River cruise bosses spent much of the three-day event urging agents to recognise river’s value proposition and the changing mindsets of passengers so the sector can finally achieve its obvious potential.
So what opportunities can agents capitalise on? And why should they take a fresh look at the river sector – and get excited about selling new product?
'River incorporates amazing value'
At the last Clia event in December, cruise line bosses – including the trade body’s chair Ben Bouldin – warned agents not to repeat the high levels of discounting seen in 2023.
Here in Amsterdam, river cruise bosses conceded there had been a pricing problem last year.
Nick Hughes, who joined Scenic and Emerald eight weeks ago as UK and Ireland sales, strategy and partnerships director, admitted discounting levels in the river sector had caught his eye even while he was still working for ocean line Princess Cruises last year.
“For such a high value product, I was surprised by how much discounting there was in river,” he said during a panel discussion. However, both Rowe and Hughes were quick to point out that the situation is changing.
Rowe (pictured) praised agents in the room for turning the situation around, saying: “We, as an industry, have kept our nerve much better than last year. I am so, so proud and thank you to each and every one of you. We have a wonderful product to sell. It incorporates amazing value.”
Hughes insisted there was now an opportunity for the trade to “showcase the true value of river”. “You don’t have to work as hard in river to match some of the earnings that you might make elsewhere,” he added.
The river cruisers of tomorrow?
Clia opened the conference with research revealing that although 70% of the 440 agent delegates had made a river booking, only 5% felt “extremely confident” about selling it.
However, Uniworld chief executive Ellen Bettridge (pictured) stressed agents did not have to look far to find new river cruise customers and, in turn, build their confidence.
After highlighting recent media headlines suggesting that river was on course to have its best-ever year, Bettridge urged delegates to go through their ocean cruise customer database in order to grow their river sales.
“Where are we going to find our next river cruisers from?" she asked. "Ocean cruise. These customers love to cruise already. They love the idea of unpacking once and the ease. It’s the perfect sweet spot.”
Bettridge then argued river was benefitting from the fact the luxury holiday market and the ocean cruise sector were expanding. “That luxury space is growing, ocean is growing and that is fuelling river. It’s all good news,” she added.
'Don't worry about water levels'
River lines are not only adept at dealing with high or low water levels on the river, but also at answering the frequent questions about them. Water levels are, after all, a persistent issue for river operators.
Each year, river lines regularly draw up contingency plans to transfer customers further down the river around problem areas.
AmaWaterways’ chief operation officer Jon Burrows told agent delegates: “You should never worry [about water levels]. We’ve never cancelled a cruise because of the water.”
Burrows said ship deployment had become “strategic”, adding there were rivers, such as the Po and the Elbe, where the water levels regularly posed a problem.
But he explained that by putting two ships “in opposite rotation” offered river lines a solution. “We can move people from ‘ship one’ to ‘ship two’,” he added.
“We pack the passengers’ belongings for them and move them onto the other ship. We don’t have to switch passengers from one ship to another very often, maybe five or six times a year.”
A river cruise revolution?
Riviera Travel chief executive Phil Hullah (pictured) expressed his frustration that the sector had not done “a better job” at addressing misconceptions around the product.
He said that agents needed to “do more” to educate potential river cruise customers and river cruise operators needed to show “real people” in their marketing that clients have an affinity with.
He explained how passengers “can get stuck in or choose to opt out” and a “real evolution” was happening in terms of how the products increasingly reflected passengers’ needs.
“There’s more space, more autonomy, than perhaps people realise,” he continued. “We need to do a better job, ourselves included, of getting across the benefits of river cruise.
“I can only speak about the five years that I’ve been at Riviera – two of which were during Covid. Looking at customers you can see a definite evolution. I don’t think the age has changed that much, but the mindsets, desires and needs have changed.
“The next group of river cruisers coming through do want different things. It’s just evolution. It’s not wholesale changes. What we’re finding is that people want to know they’ve got a bit more free time, control and a bit more choice. That means longer stays, choice of flights, pre- and post-cruise options, choice of dining.
"It’s just a question of evolving the offer and the image of what river cruise is.”
Rowe, meanwhile, noted how people were tending to move away from “hot destinations” towards city breaks, which was playing into river lines’ hands.
She told agent delegates: “Every single one of you have these people on file. You’ve got this sale in the bag. River cruise is a product that aims to please.”
2024 'a pivotal year for river'
AmaWaterways’ UK boss Jamie Loizou, who is also chair of Clia’s river working group, admitted the UK river industry has taken “a little longer” than other cruise sectors to bounce back from the pandemic.
But he noted how the sector has seen a “huge surge in demand” in recent months. “Over the past 12 months, we have seen a resurgence of river which is culminating in incredibly strong sales for many of the river lines represented here today,” said Hullah. “I think 2024 is pivotal year for river cruise, particularly for the UK market.”
A good indication of river’s recovery can possibly be seen with how Egyptian cruises are gaining in popularity. Egypt has long been at the forefront of British holidaymakers. The compelling mix of guaranteed good weather, the country’s rich history and the Nile (pictured) means Egypt is often high on people’s bucket lists.
However, according to Bettridge, the demand for Uniworld’s Nile cruises had dropped off until very recently.
“Egypt is going to come back – and it’s going to come back in a huge way,” she said. “We have two incredible ships there. Last week, we had 22 bookings for our Nile cruises which is not a lot – but it’s coming back. It’s a fantastic product.”
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