River cruise still has a discounting problem, line's UK boss insists
Uniworld’s UK boss Chris Townson believes the river sector still has a discounting problem despite rival lines insisting that agents had turned a corner and current price points were correct.
Speaking to TTG at the Clia RiverView conference in Amsterdam on Tuesday (12 March), where discounting has again been a hot topic, Townson said the ultra-luxury river line’s team saw seven-night sailings priced at around £1,200 in January.
River cruise bosses raised concerns about pricing last year because although discounting initially attracts bookers, ultimately there’s a feeling that customers won’t book again when prices go up.
When asked about the issue on stage at the RiverView conference, some river cruise bosses said the pricing landscape had improved this year. A-Rosa River Cruises’ UK boss Lucia Rowe even praised agents for keeping pricing high while speaking on stage during a panel discussion.
But Townson said: “I still think that river has an issue with pricing. There is pricing that is very low and that is not good for anybody. We’ve seen [price] dumping. There were prices that were super low in January – that is not a good situation. It only turns off the first-time [cruisers].”
Yet Townson did reveal that Uniworld had launched a leap year campaign last month, where the line’s sales team had released “some special offers” into the market place.
“We just saw this as an opportunity in real terms,” explained Townson. “We still had a record-breaking wave and our average selling price shot through the roof.”
When asked about what concerns he had about the river cruise sector, Townson said: “The market is so unbelievable at the moment, but will the bubble burst?
He also highlighted how ocean cruise lines’ product proposition was generally “more mature”, whereas river products were “less defined”.
“How do agents know what the difference between the river lines is? All of them are saying the same thing. How does that poor agent know the difference between product A, B, C, D, and E? All the lines are saying that they are above and beyond.”
Uniworld chief executive Ellen Bettridge, meanwhile, revealed on stage that the line would launch a new ship on the Rhine to coincide with its 50th anniversary celebrations in 2026.
The line confirmed the ship would be called Emilie and its design would be inspired by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt and named after his life partner and muse, Emilie Floge.
"Our commitment to excellence is unwavering, and this outstanding new vessel reaffirms our dedication to providing the best and most luxurious ships on the rivers," Bettridge said.
"Our portfolio truly embodies the best of the best in the market."
Betteridge added that Emilie would be around 135 metres long and would carry more than 140 passengers.
Townson confirmed the ship would be “a different level” to others in the fleet, adding: “We don’t do things by halves. I’m sure that it will be completely unique. We’re currently in the product development stage.
“For most river cruise companies, it only takes a year to build a ship, but for us it takes two or three years because of the amount of detail that we add.”
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