Travel Weekly’s Lucy Huxley says this week’s RiverView Conference reflected a sector on the rise
I first moderated Clia’s RiverView conference in 2014. Fewer than 100 delegates joined us in Amsterdam to learn about what was then a pretty unknown sector – and to see just a couple of river ships.
Fast-forward 10 years and 540 delegates joined us back in the Dutch capital for four days’ worth of learning – including the chance to experience 11 different vessels.
The river cruise market is still considerably smaller than the ocean cruise sector, with 1.9 million customers taking a European river cruise last year compared to 31.5 million ocean cruisers. But it is growing fast – and agents are jumping on the bandwagon.
As we reported recently, customers are increasingly looking beyond fly and flop holidays to city breaks and experiential travel, and with more demand for cooler climates in summer and a focus on value and responsible travel, river cruising ticks a lot of boxes.
As Riviera Travel chief Phil Hullah neatly put it, it is the ultimate way to combine “relaxation and exploration with a lower-case e”.
It certainly felt this week as if the sector was out of the shadows, though as A-Rosa’s Lucia Rowe argued, river cruising “has been having a moment for some time, but people haven’t been awake”.
In terms of investment and innovation in new ships, destinations, itineraries and experiences, Lucia is absolutely right, and lines are matching that investment with agency sales and support, joint marketing funds, fam trips and training – not to mention healthy commission.
If you haven’t already, it is definitely time to open your eyes.