The Interview Phil Hullah,


Riviera Travel Chief executive makes contact with


customers a priority for the operator after two years of Covid-impacted trading. He talks to Harry Kemble


R


iviera Travel chief executive Phil Hullah wants the business to maintain a


“high-touch” relationship ZLWK LWVbFXVWRPHUV


He plans to expand by


recruiting up to 30 staff by April, when the touring and river cruise specialist is due to operate its full programme again. In the last three months of 2021, 25 people joined its customer support and operational teams. Hullah says staff have been tasked


with talking to customers “as many times as we can”. “We need to be ready and we


will be,” he says. “That high-touch relationship has really paid off. “We need more people available


and trained to do that. We’re recruiting quite hard to make sure people are ready to manage things.” Hullah, who was Riviera’s chief


operating officer before taking the top job in February 2020, says the operator has set itself up “very differently” from previous years and will work “much harder than normal” to negate the “rollercoaster” effect caused by Covid.


12 13 JANUARY 2022 Riviera took away only 6,000


customers last year – down from nearly 130,000 in 2019 – due to pandemic restrictions. “It’s been hard work because


every single itinerary is different from how it was two years ago,” he says. Forward booking levels, however,


are around 40% to 45% ahead of where they normally would be at this point in a pre-pandemic year.


Trade plans Riviera’s full-time on-the-road sales team expanded last year from three to four people. Building “personal relationships”


with agents who are “up for it” and “a good fit for customers” is vital, says Hullah. Trade sales make up 25% of the operator’s business. “The trade should be, can be and


will be an increasingly important part of our business going forward,” he says. “It’s something we’re investing in and we’re going to invest more in.” Hullah says “trusted” agents


can fulfil a role much like Riviera’s customer-facing teams and are “even more important” than they were two years ago. “We can’t do everything


ourselves,” he says. “People need


looking after. We work with partners increasingly, and that’s what we want to do.”


2022 outlook Hullah is upbeat about the coming months despite the possibility of travel restrictions being tightened again if a new variant emerges. “We’re still moving in the right


direction,” he adds. “I’m very positive overall despite bumps in the road like Omicron. “There’s no diminishment in


terms of desire from people to get out and see the world.” Asked if the pandemic had


forced Riviera to rethink its offering, Hullah says products are constantly reviewed but there has been no “contraction” in any area. But he adds: “However 2022 plays


out, there will be some things we did differently in 2019.”


Peaks campaign Riviera’s peaks campaign is themed “Time to catch up” and Hullah says “it’s all about making it easy to get back out there”. Customers who book two


holidays by the end of March will receive a discount of between 10% and 20% on their second. Agents can earn a £50 lifestyle


voucher for every river cruise booking made by February 28 for sailings between April and June. Hullah believes it’s important


the entire sector pushes “hard at the right times” and outlines how Riviera is putting together joint marketing plans with agents. But he admits some “uncertainty”


about “how fast things are going to take off” this month. Riviera, though, will not be caught


short due to a lack of staff when passenger numbers finally ramp up.


The trade should be, can be and will be an increasingly important part of our business going forward


travelweekly.co.uk


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