NEWS CONFERENCE REPORT
Clia River Cruise Conference 2017: Cruise body held its seventh annual river forum last weekend. Harry Kemble reports from Amsterdam
RIVER CRUISE
CLIA CONFERENCE 2017
Hawke calls on agents to ‘only support Clia lines’
Travel agents must back Clia member cruise lines and return the support the organisation has shown to them, deputy chairman Giles Hawke has urged.
Opening the Clia River Cruise
Conference in Amsterdam, Hawke revealed agents sold more than a third of the total river cruises in 2016 and that the sector was one of the fastest-growing in the travel industry. Addressing almost 300
delegates, Hawke said: “I have a plea for all agents: as Clia
“Please support Clia cruise lines because we’re doing everything we can to support you”
members we invest a huge amount of time and energy in training and supporting you. “Our focus is on travel agents
selling more cruise. Might I make a plea that when you go back to your shops, offices and places of work, you only support Clia cruise lines. “It would be nice to see that support reciprocated. Please support Clia cruise lines because we are doing everything we can to support you.” Hawke, who is also chief
executive of Avalon Waterways UK and Cosmos, hailed river cruise lines for their “constant innovation” and the speed at which new milestones are reached. He added: “Things can happen
Giles Hawke
quickly, from building ships, to redesigning what happens inside, to launching new brands and to
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travelweekly.co.uk 23 November 2017
redeploying as required.” According to the latest Clia
figures, for 2016, UK river cruise passenger numbers grew by 11% on UK sailings, 145% in Europe and 22% across non-European destinations. Hawke described this as “significant” growth and said he had “no doubt 2017 will be greater” still. He said: “A lot has happened in the last year. New ships have hit the market, growth has been unabated in the river cruise market and we are proving more and more popular for agents to be selling.” However, he admitted the industry “still had a job to do” to explain what river cruising is all about to potential customers. “Contrary to what some of my
non-travel friends think, river cruising isn’t ‘barge holidays’,” he said, adding: “We have fantastic luxury products. “Those of you which have big
cruise databases have a massive opportunity to convert your customers to try river cruise. “We know the satisfaction rate in river cruising is extremely high.”
‘Target Asia cruises at fitter customers’
Pandaw’s Marco Rosa said agents should target younger or “fitter” passengers for long-haul river cruising in Asia. The Asian river cruise line’s sales vice-president said: “Asia is quite vast. [Our sailings] cover a much shorter distance but there is more focus on the excursions. It is quite a packed itinerary each day. It is a much more active holiday.” He said he had found that
passengers on river sailings in Vietnam, Laos, China and Myanmar were generally aged between 30 and 60 years old. “The age group is younger [than European river cruises],” he added. “You are looking for customers that are fitter. “There is more interaction with the local community. It is a good product for families.”
Marco Rosa
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