NEWS learn about burgeoning sector and have chance to visit 11 ships. Josie Klein reports from Amsterdam


‘Sector must be honest: not all operators are five-star’


R


Andy Harmer


iver cruise lines must do more to differentiate their products when talking to the trade as agents are “unable” to place the right customer on the right cruise, according to


Uniworld Boutique River Cruises’ Chris Townson. The luxury line’s managing director for the UK and


Ireland said the river cruise sector is lagging behind ocean cruise as agents do not understand the differences between the lines. He said there is a “constant conversation” within the


sector about the challenge of “over-marketing” – where a large number of lines claim they sit in the luxury space – meaning agents and customers believe all the lines offer the same standard of product. He urged river cruise lines to be more open about their


offering, saying: “There is a river cruise for everyone, be it two-star, three-star, four-star or five-star, but lines have to be honest so they get the right customers on board. “I feel sorry for agents: it’s impossible for them to know


what is true if every operator tells them they are five-star. “Ocean cruising is at a different stage. If you look back


15 years, ocean was a merge of products and there wasn’t much differentiation. But now, agents know which are the luxury lines and which are mainstream. “However, river cruise hasn’t moved forward as a sector and we all need to do more to raise awareness.”


ort for river cruise sector


for key stakeholders and agent partners, to take place in Glasgow on April 30, followed in the second half of the year by an in-person river cruise residential event. The association is also adding


online countdowns to the launch of each of the 15 new river cruise ships scheduled to set sail this year. Addressing agents, Andy Harmer,


Clia’s managing director for the UK and Ireland, said: “Customers trust you so you need to make sure you have confidence in yourself and we want to do all we can to support you in that.”


Chris Townson


Townson suggested a ratings system should be


introduced, similar to that used by hotels, saying it would give “more clarity” on the different river cruise products. He warned the whole sector will suffer if lines are not


more upfront about their offering and urged operators to be more transparent. “Ultimately, the wrong guest will end up on the wrong


ship, which is bad for the whole industry as the customer will feel they’ve been mis-sold and won’t come back,” he said. “This is an ongoing challenge and it’s why the


partnership we have with agents is so important because we need them to trust us to give them the right information so they can get more people on our ships in the long term.”


Riviera boss urges agents to sell river cruise as add-on


A river cruise is an “excellent supplement” for customers who tend to take multiple holidays each year, according to Riviera Travel chief executive Phil Hullah. He encouraged agents to


suggest river cruises to clients who had never taken a cruise before, saying it is a good add-on to the trips they already had planned as customers can try it out while knowing they have other holidays booked. He told new-to-cruise agents to recognise annual river cruising


travelweekly.co.uk Phil Hullah


is not something every customer will want to do, but it is a “great suggestion” if they take several trips a year. “Not everyone wants to take


a river cruise every year,” he said. “Our customers tend to take two or three holidays a year, but maybe only a river cruise every so often, so agents should look at river cruises as a way of supplementing other trips. “A lot of our river cruise


customers come in as first-time cruisers and that is a great market to target.”


21 MARCH 2024 11


PICTURES: Steve Dunlop


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