Riviera Travel has hailed the value of agents in pushing its river cruise product, as it reported trade sales have increased by 134% year-on-year.
Head of trade Tom Morgan thanked agents for their support in 2023, saying river cruise is “by far the biggest selling product” through the trade.
Morgan said the operator is preparing for its “biggest peaks ever” and is investing more in comarketing with agents “than ever before”.
He predicted trade sales will be 30%-35% higher during the 2024 peak season than they were in 2023, saying the figure is “optimistic but doable”.
“Our trade river cruise sales between January and November are up 134% year-on-year which is great and shows the importance of our agent partners,” he said.
“River cruise makes up 60% of all our sales through the UK trade so we’ve seen great growth from our agents and we’re really happy with it.
“This is a great time of year to be selling river cruise. Most agents are reporting a natural slowdown at this time of year but our bookings haven’t slowed at all, with our river cruise bookings as strong as ever.”
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