Riviera's trade business can still grow ‘significantly’, boss insists
Riviera Travel’s boss Phil Hullah has identified the trade as a key part of the operator’s push to double the size of its business by 2030.
Speaking at the company’s 40th anniversary celebrations in Paris on Tuesday (26 March), which media and travel agents are attending, the chief executive outlined goals he wants to achieve in the next six years.
Currently, Riviera takes away nearly 100,000 passengers each year, but Hullah wants to add another 100,000 to that figure.
“We want to double the size of our business and get to 200,000 guests by 2030 and grow our profitability,” he said. “We’re just under 100,000 guests currently. We need to extend our reach and bring more like-minded guests into our world. We need to extend the product proposition and obsess about the guest experience.”
When asked by TTG how much Riviera’s trade business needs to grow to achieve its passenger goal, Hullah said: “I don’t mind what the proportion is. I think the trade business can grow significantly from where it is. It can at least double from here on in. We have to make ourselves easy to do business with.
“The trade channel is going really well. We’re now reinvesting in what we’ve got. We’re in the process of looking at our options.”
Chief operating officer Robin Shaw said Riviera’s trade business had increased “from 15% of our overall business to 25% in just a couple of years”.
But he added: “We’re still under represented in the trade itself.”
Shaw outlined plans to operate for longer periods, saying: “Like other operators, we’re looking at extending our seasons. That is going to be a big opportunity going forward."
Hullah added: “There are huge opportunities in the areas that we’re in. That will fill a significant part of our growth.
"We don’t need to launch a whole new product offering. In terms of passenger numbers, the biggest growth will be short-haul tours.”
He confirmed that sales were split evenly between river cruise and touring, but noted: “The European river cruise market is more competitive than it has ever been. We’re definitely seeing a lot of growth on the Douro where there are a lot of opportunities.”
Hullah revealed that booked revenue for 2024 is up 28% year-on-year and up 61% year-on-year for 2025.
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