DESTINATIONS CRUISE | RIVERS IN AUTUMN
Vicky Billing
head of trade and partnerships, Riviera Travel
“Themed cruises are growing in popularity and
provide a great way to offer something new to repeat
guests and appeal to a wider audience. I’d advise agents
to focus on the one-of-a-kind nature of these itineraries. They truly offer something different, fusing the classic
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: See tigers in India with Pandaw; take dance lessons with A-Rosa; visit Parc de la Tête d’Or in Lyon with Riviera Travel; stop at Dürnstein, Austria, with Scenic PICTURES: Unsplash/Donnie Ray Crisp; Shutterstock/ricochet64
Roman ruins and pristine lawns at Vienne’s Jardin de Ville, and L’Espace Van Gogh, a garden dedicated to the artist, in Arles. Plus, for this special autumn sailing, guests will be joined by gardening expert Charlie Dimmock. She’ll be offering tips in three onboard talks as well as attending some of the excursions, including a visit to the Maison de la Lavande lavender museum in Ardèche. Book it: The eight-day sailing, departing on October 17, costs from £2,149, including meals, drinks package,
flights or Eurostar travel and transfers.
rivieratravel.co.uk
BEST FOR . . . MUSIC The cruise: Gems of the Danube, Scenic The details: This sailing will be music to clients’ ears, with a private performance at Vienna’s baroque Palais Liechtenstein by an orchestra playing pieces by Strauss and Mozart, exclusively for Scenic guests. A visit to Salzburg will bring them to the picturesque home of The Sound of Music, at the foot of Alpine peaks, along with a baroque Old Town where Mozart was born. Other stops on this well-rounded itinerary include Regensburg, one of Germany’s best-preserved medieval towns, while excursions span everything from
50 27 JUNE 2024
cooking Hungarian goulash to e-biking past pretty vineyards from the village of Dürnstein to Melk. Book it: A six-day sailing, departing October 20, costs from £1,999, including flights, transfers, meals
and premium drinks.
scenic.co.uk
BEST FOR . . . WILDLIFE The cruise: The Full Brahmaputra, Pandaw The details: New for October, this wildlife-focused cruise travels India’s less-visited Brahmaputra River on low-draft vessels that can chart shallower waters. This allows them to travel farther into the Assam Valley past the state’s second-largest city, Dibrugarh. The route takes in Dibru Saikhowa National Park – home to leopards, elephants and wild horses – and Kaziranga National Park, where clients might be lucky enough to glimpse a greater one-horned rhino or a Bengal tiger. Expect a birdwatcher’s heaven in Dibru Saikhowa park, a designated biosphere reserve. There’s also a chance to explore the region’s culture: when in Assam, clients can visit a tea-growing estate and see the Mishing people hand-weave traditional dress on Majuli, the world’s largest river island.
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travelweekly.co.uk Nick Hughes
sales, strategy and partnership director, Scenic
“Exclusive access to
musical, dining or art events is a huge draw for many travellers. Tapping into
your customers’ interests and providing them with
behind-the-scenes exclusive access is a big opportunity
that we encourage our trusted agent and tour operator partners to highlight.”
river cruise experience with curated programmes on
board and ashore, designed to enrich guests’ lives.”
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