| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 17/04/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 40 |
| Copyright: Other |
Specialist to strengthen trade ties
Travel Renaissance hosted an educational to Venice to showcase its newly refurbished ship, Venezia, following a £250,000 upgrade. Citalia, Page and Moy and Prospect Music and Art Tours joined the educational. Tanya Jefferies reports
RIVER cruise specialist Travel Renaissance plans to strengthen its relations with the travel trade following a three-fold expansion in its fleet.The company was previously UK general sales agent for KD River Cruises, which owned nine ships. However, KD was recently acquired by Viking River Cruises, creating a total fleet of 26 ships (Travel Weekly March 13 and 20).
Travel Renaissance sales director Michael Flanagan said:”Viking is now the largest river cruiseline in the world.
“We have so much new product that it’s a good story to tell the trade. It gives us a chance to talk to tour operators and agents.”
The company is a member of the Truly Independent Professional Tour Operators group, and it plans to use this as a vehicle to increase its contacts with agents.
Flanagan wants to offer agents more funds for joint marketing initiatives in the future. Travel Renaissance has an annual budget of £100,000 for this purpose, but it is anticipated that this could rise by 25% next year.
He also plans to run two agent educationals this year, each for around 12 people. One trip will involve a cruise on the River Rhone, but the other destination has not yet been decided.
Travel Renaissance currently sells holidays through 15 UK tour operators but it hopes to add up to six more.
Flanagan said he would be approaching operators with destination-led brochures that could easily incorporate river product.
The company now has new river destinations to sell, including several in Russia. Viking’s fleet of 26 ships includes three new 160-passenger vessels that are due to be launched this year – Viking Rhone, Viking Burgundy and Viking Star.
Flanagan said Viking was currently researching new river destinations in Asia, the Americas and Africa, and new destinations were likely to be added to the 2002 programme.
Flanagan: wants to offer agents more funds for joint marketing initiatives as the cruiseline starts to look at new river destinations
SHIP CHECK
Name: Venezia.Passenger capacity: 106.