Avalon Waterways president outlines opportunity for agents to book ‘at higher price point’

Avalon Waterways’ president has identified opportunities for UK agents to “sell our product confidently at a higher price point” as opposed to “last-minute distressed” in the coming year.

This comes as the river cruise line claimed 61% year-on-year growth in the UK market during the peaks booking period.

Pam Hoffee told Travel Weekly that the UK market had always been the company’s “best seller” for unsold cabins, especially in July and August, as UK travellers are less affected by higher air fares and keener to experience warm-weather destinations than those in other markets.

She said: “I wouldn’t say that we have huge ambitions for growth [in the UK], but our goal is to be a profitable and responsible company.

“As we add capacity, I think the UK will grow at that same pace. Having 61% growth this year was more of a shift of the market forward, to some extent. I do think we’ll be able to sustain it throughout the year.”

Speaking on stage at Clia RiverView, Hoffee said the UK had become known for shifting “last-minute excess capacity”, but she urged agents to consider customers who want to plan early.

She said: “Having more UK travel agents come to this event and some of the fam trips we’ve hosted has helped us to get to where they can sell confidently our product at that higher price point [further ahead], versus only at a last-minute distress.”

She said there has been “substantial” growth in multi-generational bookings in the UK market, particularly for Avalon Waterways’ Active and Discovery range, which surpassed the overall 61% growth level.

Hoffee also outlined the opportunity to bring in more ocean cruise customers and younger demographics, such as Gen X, to river cruising.

Another area of focus is the Avalon After Dark programme, which Hoffee said has been introduced for this year to “do more than any other cruise line at night”, offering local musicians on board, top deck barbecues for dinner and a range of excursions.

Hoffee said: “We are in the heart of the destination staying in port overnight which is a big difference from ocean.

“Ocean cruise lines leave because they have to in order to open their casinos and their shops and start the revenue flow, but we’re not about onboard revenue, so we stay in port, and we can actually let people and encourage people to go out.”

She added the line had created “after dark sheets” to give information about where to go for different comedy, music or dining venues, with local customs, to help passengers explore on their own.

Hoffee said this kind of flexibility and choice were key selling points of the line, with other examples being flexible dining times, complimentary room service and laundry.

She added: “We really have tried to do everything we can to give our guests that freedom.

“The past generation of travellers that we have are looking for that, and it’s even more important to the new generations that are coming into river cruising very strongly like the Gen X and the younger baby boomers.”