New Riviera Travel boss: Growth through trade ‘has blown my mind’

Riviera Travel’s new chief executive says sales growth through travel agents during the peaks period has “really blown my mind” – and he sees the trade as key to his future strategy.

 

Matt Luscombe, who succeeded Phil Hullah last month, said the river cruise and escorted tours specialist is seeing its best peak trading period ever.

 

“The growth through the trade has really blown my mind; they have done a fabulous job in the last few weeks,” he told a Travel Weekly webcast.

 

“To achieve the numbers that we and our partners have achieved has been really impressive.”

 

He hailed the efforts of the Riviera trade team – who include Lloyd Morris, strategic account manager and long-haul champion, who won the inaugural Supplier Representative of the Year Award at Travel Weekly Globe Travel Awards 2026.

 

“We have got a wonderful team full of energy, full of ideas and trialling all sorts of different initiatives with travel agents,” said Luscombe.

 

“We have got some great tools. Riviera Explorer is our one-stop-shop for the travel agents.

 

“We have more than 4,000 people using that now regularly, and all sorts of advancements coming all the time. It has got AI technology built into it… and it has got brilliant feedback.

 

“We are not complacent at all. We want to continue to help travel agents to understand what we are trying to sell and make it easier for them to explain that to our guests.”

 

More: Riviera Travel reveals name and general sale date of new ship

 

Riviera Travel appoints events and hospitality veteran as chief executive

He said his first 90 days in the role will mostly involve meeting and listening to his colleagues, trade partners and guests in both river cruising and escorted touring.

 

On river cruise, he said: “The service standards we’ve already achieved are really good…and we’ve got really happy guests, but the differentiation is not as strong as I would have expected it to be.

 

“There is a real opportunity for us to differentiate the physical design of the ships, differentiate the service experience, put more variety and choice into the land itinerary, and do more to recognise and celebrate our most loyal customers.

 

“I am 100% sure that, as people try river cruise, the market will continue to grow, because it is fundamentally a really magical experience – checking into your hotel and then opening your curtains the next morning, and you are in a different city, it is like Christmas morning…something magical happened overnight.”

 

He was unfazed by growing competition in the river cruise sector, commenting: “I love competition because I love sports and it’s more fun.”

He also highlighted how more cruise lines and ships in the market – such as Trafalgar and Celebrity Cruises – increase awareness of the sector and benefit all players.

 

On escorted touring, he noted more opportunities to expand the long-haul range as more travellers are now comfortable with exploring European on their own.

 

Another opportunity for the touring portfolio is to expand the range of regional departures, he added.

 

Luscombe said he and his wife took their first river cruise over the New Year period and had a “wonderful time” – and he will soon take an escorted tour with the company, to explore Marrakech and experience the brand through the customers’ eyes – and how the company might be able to cross-sell between the two groups of holidaymakers.

 

He also told the webcast how he had previously coached his wife, who was an international rower and had won a silver medal at the world championships.

 

“It changed me as a person, because it changed my whole approach to leadership…my whole life was about helping her be the best that she could be,” he said.

 

“That mindset and approach is fundamental now to…leadership roles in my career.

 

“How can I help these people succeed, individually and collectively? 

 

“Achieving things with other people is the big motivator. I am buzzing to be part of this Riviera team that is quite clearly winning already.

 

“Let’s grow the market together and win together.”

 

More: Lloyd Morris ‘blown away’ by response to Globe Travel Awards triumph