A-Rosa River Cruises is to provide Atol-protected holiday packages to the trade in a “milestone moment” for UK expansion.
The option will be made available via a collaboration with flight consolidator Aviate.
It means that agents will be able to make bespoke package bookings through A-Rosa River Cruises on all of the German line’s European river cruises.
The trade-only river cruise specialist aims to “exponentially” expand its reach in the UK market as part of its growth strategy.
The new partnership will see Aviate act as A-Rosa’s trade reservations department in the UK, handling all stages of the booking process and bonded under its Atol.
A dedicated reservations number has been set up, which agents will be able to use to make A-Rosa package bookings.
The cruise packages include flights, transfers and pre or post hotel stays as desired, with rail options expected to be added.
The new partnership will complement the river cruise lines’ existing travel trade partner strategy.
The river cruise line has worked mainly with tour operators, offering group allocations on selected departures and itineraries that agents could book.
Partners who wanted to dynamically package individual departures had to either book cruise-only or use their own Atol.
The deal comes ahead of the launch of next-generation ship, A-Rosa Sena in May and the start of an upgrade project for premium all-inclusive offering across the entire fleet for 2023.
The line’s UK and Ireland managing director Lucia Rowe said: “This is a big step forward for us and a milestone moment in our UK expansion plans.
“For several years, agents have been asking us to find a way for them book fully Atol-protected packages through us, for our entire river cruise portfolio.
“We have listened and I am delighted we now have a solution through Aviate, who are a trusted and well-respected name in the industry.”
Rowe added: “This is the obvious next step for us and it really is all about choice. Many agents have a preferred supplier they book our cruises through and this will continue to be an important channel for us.
“But for those agents who want the flexibility of being able to book packages through us across our entire portfolio of dates and itineraries, all with full Atol protection, this is the perfect, easy to sell solution.”
Aviate chief operating officer Jayne Bond said: ‘’We’re delighted to power A-Rosa’s expansion to the UK trade. Our unique airline relationships, plus more recent successes in cruise packaging, position Aviate perfectly to offer competitive flight elements with A-Rosa’s European sailings.
“Echoing our dedication to innovative trade solutions and unrivalled service, A-ROSA’s ambition to change the river cruising landscape presented the ideal partnership for us.”