Riviera Travel announces first grand prize winner of Vault incentive

Riviera Travel has announced Annie Hughes from Newell’s Travel as the first grand prize winner of its new Vault incentive.

Hughes has won a seven-night cruise for two on the operator’s newest ship, Riviera Resplendence, which is due to launch in 2026.

The prize includes flights, transfers, excursions and all-inclusive drinks.

The Riviera Vault was launched in July to offer agents instant rewards for new bookings or signing up to the Riviera Explorer online training platform.

More than 700 agents took part in the programme between July 7 and August 10 and Riviera Explorer has surpassed 3,000 agent registrations.

Vicky Billing, director of trade and partnerships UK & Ireland, said: “We’re always striving to be easy to do business with, and the introduction of the Vault has helped us achieve just that.

“The engagement has been phenomenal, and I’m genuinely excited to re-launch the Vault in September ahead of mini peaks, where we’ll be offering even more prizes to reward our amazing travel agent partners.”

Hughes said: “I’m absolutely over the moon to have won and want to say a big thank you to Riviera and their amazing trade team.”

She said was planning on taking her mum on the cruise in June or July next year.

Hughes said she entered the incentive after being told about it by her key account manager Lloyd during an agency visit, and that the product was “a natural fit” for its customers.

“I registered five or six bookings, and honestly I was motivated by the Vault, but we also work very closely with Riviera anyway because of their local departures, which really resonate with our customers,” she said.

“As an agency, we’ve booked 14 or 15 trips from New Quay alone – the product just flies off the shelves.”

She added: “A huge proportion of our demographic is retired, so Riviera is a perfect match, but we’re also seeing more multi-generational bookings, with adult children taking their parents on a special trip.”