Search

The article discusses the partnership between ACTA and Avalon Waterways for the European River Cruise Summit, which brought together 110 travel advisors for a Danube adventure from Hungary to Germany. The Summit aimed to showcase Avalon Waterways' unique offerings and educate advisors on river cruising. The event included educational workshops, themed events, and excursions to provide a comprehensive understanding of river cruising, with plans for future Summits and improvements to Avalon's travel agent portal. [Extracted from the article]

The smartest way to vacation next year might just be on a languorous river cruise. Spencer notes that four different river-cruise lines - B Avalon Waterways b , B AmaWaterways b , B Scenic b , and B Uniworld Boutique River Cruises b - now offer multi-week trips through France. "It's been a huge trend in 2023 and will only expand in 2024", says Samuel Spencer, a travel advisor and the owner of Ocean & River Cruises, an agency in Calgary, Alberta. [Extracted from the article]

AmaWaterways, a river cruise company founded by Rudi Schreiner and Kristin Karst, offers unique experiences ranging from wildlife safaris to European Christmas markets. The founders prioritize connecting with guests on a personal level, joining them for meals, activities, and excursions. AmaWaterways focuses on creating meaningful connections with the destinations visited, the local communities, and fellow travelers, while also giving back through community sponsorships and educational programs. [Extracted from the article]

Regulars It's estimated that every 240 people worldwide who go on a cruise support 10 full-time jobs, and among those who have been working flat out recently are travel agents helping to get cruising enthusiasts on board. Around AUSTRALIA Viking's one-off extravaganza Regular cruises with departure dates of your choice are great, but every now and then an operator will announce a special one-off trip with an itinerary to drool over. [Extracted from the article]

River cruise bookings continue to soar with even more new ships, destinations, and itineraries slated to debut 2024. American Queen Voyages sailing will of er even more culinary sailings in 2024 American including more wine and bourbon-themed cruise cruises, as well as Regina & Friends cruises 2024 with American Queen Voyages Culinary Ambassador, Chef Regina Charboneau. Americ an Cruise Lines, which riverboats in the U.S., is greatly expanding its U.S. Coastal cruises of erings that like its U.S. river cruises, with a total small coastal cruise ships in 2024. will sail itineraries on the East and Coasts from Alaska to Florida. [Extracted from the article]

The Travel Weekly Asia Readers' Choice Awards 2023 recognized the achievements of the best in Asia's travel industry, including hotels, resorts, airlines, destinations, cruise lines, and travel agencies. Winners were determined through votes from industry professionals. The article features interviews with representatives from winning brands such as Royal Caribbean, Silversea Cruises, Resorts World Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and Oceania Cruises. These companies offer unique experiences, tailored services, and luxury amenities to cater to Asian cruisers. Additionally, the article highlights Penang as an island destination in Asia with a rich cultural heritage, diverse architecture, vibrant street food culture, beautiful beaches, lush national parks, and a growing art scene. [Extracted from the article]

The Luxury Travel sector is experiencing significant growth, with future sales projected to increase by 38 percent in 2025-2026. High-end travelers are increasingly seeking exclusive-use experiences such as luxury yachts and private residences, as well as personalized itineraries. Trends include a rise in solo travelers, particularly women, and multi-generational family trips. Luxury travel advisors emphasize the importance of personalization, privacy, and unique experiences tailored to individual preferences. [Extracted from the article]

The article from Travel Weekly discusses upcoming changes in the travel industry. Riviera River Cruises will rebrand as Riviera Travel in North America, offering additional services like pre and post-cruise hotel stays. American Airlines will introduce new summer routes to Italy from Chicago O’Hare to Naples and from Dallas/Fort Worth to Venice. Singapore Airlines plans to upgrade its long-haul Airbus A350-900 aircraft with new first-class and business-class suites for flights to New York, Newark, and Los Angeles. [Extracted from the article]

3) Cruises and river cruises sail away Currently, Bob Family Travel's cruise business is quadruple that of all other bookings combined for all inclusive vacations and tours, etc. "With all of the promotions available and generous cancellation policies we started actively promoting both river and ocean cruises early this year and it is paying huge dividends", Probert says. In spite of the pandemic, Mary de Almeida (l) and Pat Probert (c) of Bob Family Travel with TravelOnly have had a pretty remarkable year so for bookings. Despite the pandemic, Pat Probert and Mary de Almeida of Bob Family Travel with TravelOnly are on track to have a banner year for sales focusing on future bookings. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the factors that contributed to the increasing number of cruise travellers. Topics mentioned include the value proposition of ships' design to attract luxury hotel clients, the preference of clients for family cruises, river cruises, and adults-only cruises, and tips on how travel advisors can book a client for cruise travel.

Despite the shutdown of American Queen Voyages, travel advisors believe that the demand for river cruising in the U.S. will continue to rise. While the closure of American Queen Voyages reduces the options for domestic sailing, there is still plenty of variety and room for growth in the U.S. river cruise market. American Cruise Lines and Viking Mississippi are expanding their offerings, and specialty cruises focused on events like the Kentucky Derby and Christmas markets are attracting clients. The main challenge for U.S. river cruising is the high cost compared to European river cruises, which is due to operational costs and wage requirements. However, the unique itineraries and the convenience of domestic travel make U.S. river cruises attractive to many travelers. [Extracted from the article]

The article highlights the effect of CLIA's suspending cruise ship operations from US ports due to spreading of COVID-19. It mentions the suspension for cruise line such as Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Lines and American Queen Steamboat Company; and also highlights the launch of Celestyal Cruises' a Peace of Mind Policy, to include current bookings for travel.

The article reports on the rising popularity of themed river cruises. Mitch Krayton of Krayton Travel says that the cruise lines are already package many appealing themed cruises. Lisa Long, owner of Luxury Vacations LLC, says that she focuses on the special interest tours and experiences that she thinks will appeal most to her customers.

The article explores as the European Union has opened up travel for vaccinated Americans and some other international visitors, river cruise lines are headed back to Europe's rivers. Here's what's happening this summer, as announced by river lines at press time. River lines are "restarting" on Portugal's Douro River, Italy's Po River and the Venetian Lagoon, France's Seine and Rhone/Saone rivers and in the Bordeaux region, as well as on Europe's Rhine, Danube and other rivers.

The virtual Readers Choice was an industry celebration at the end of a very difficult year, combining humorous skits, cameos by industry VIPs past and present, insightful interviews with C-suite executives and heartfelt tributes to this year's Lifetime Achievement Award winners. This was followed by a skit featuring Royal Caribbean International senior vice president Vicki Freed; her line's CEO, Michael Bayley; Celebrity Cruises senior vice president Dondra Ritzenthaler; and her line's CEO, Lisa Lutoff-Perlo. The joke was replayed with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings' top sales execs, who in their video were going to film a heartfelt message to the travel industry, except that Regent Seven Seas Cruises' Randall Soy was, hilariously, confused about the plans. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents profile of Meredith Vieira, the 15-time Emmy Award-winning host, executive producer and anchor was moved by the experience. Topics include ship's bow as the onboard staff cheered and twirled napkins in the air in celebration; and suite ships are almost identical in design the differences on Avalon View is the addition of glass balcony panels.

New Cruise & Rail Itineraries combining all the best of river cruising, land, and train travel: • Cruise & Rail: Grand Alpine & The Enchanting Danube • Cruise & Rail: Grand Alpine & The Jewels of Veneto • Cruise & Rail: Delightful Danube & The Castles of Transylvania • Cruise & Rail: Milan, Venice, Istanbul & The Balkans • Cruise & Rail: Venice, Istanbul & The Balkans FOCUS ON Uniworld's MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences are chosen for the positive environmental or social impact they have on the guests and the people and places they visit. With their fleet of one-of-a-kind, destination-inspired ships, Uniworld brings boutique luxury to the rivers. Uniworld's Cruise & Rail itineraries represent the most innovative and exciting new way to see the world. [Extracted from the article]

QUICK FACTS NUMBER OF SHIPS 12 RIVERS/COUNTRIES 22 itineraries across 10 rivers FOCUS ON Since January 2020, Riviera River Cruises only accepts North American bookings from travel advisors. They feature some of the largest cabins and suites in their category, fine culinary experiences in two restaurants, expertly led excursions and first-class service from a friendly, English-speaking crew. Meals on board include sumptuous breakfasts, superb lunches and four-course dinners, featuring international, classic and regional specialties in the main restaurant, and of course traditional English afternoon tea. [Extracted from the article]

• AmaWaterways offers an array of help you build your group business. customizable marketing collateral, promotional incentives, and dedicated Group Sales Specialists, organizing next group cruise with AmaWaterways never been easier. AmaWaterways' extraordinarily friendly and knowledgeable Cruise Managers have extensive experience in providing personalized service along every step of your clients' journeys, whether on board our ships or during their pre- and post-cruise land packages. QUICK FACTS NUMBER OF SHIPS 29 RIVERS/COUNTRIES Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America COMING IN 2024 AmaLilia in Egypt; AmaMagdalena in Colombia FOCUS ON • Starting in 2024, travel advisor commission payments will be paid starting days prior to your clients' embarkation date, ensuring that your hard work compensated as quickly as possible. [Extracted from the article]

Barcelona bans ships near its city center Barcelona, Europe's busiest cruise port, will ban cruise ships from its most central docking locations beginning Oct. 22; the city is also lowering the cap on the number of ships that can dock at its ports each day, from 10 to seven. All ships will now have to dock at the city's southern port, typically used by larger cruise ships, meaning all passengers will need to take a shuttle ride to the city center instead of having a short walk. Uniworld to charter two Riverside ships Uniworld Boutique River Cruises plans to charter two ships from the Riverside Luxury Cruises fleet for European sailings. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information about a roundtable conference concerning travel and tourism hosted by the periodical in Manhattan, New York City. Several industry experts that shares their views in the event includes Michael Gigl, regional manager of Austrian Tourist Office, on business growth; effect of river cruises on travel by Ted Teng, president The Leading Hotels of the World; and Daniel Durazo of Allianz on consumer evolution.

The article offers information on multigenerational river cruising. Topics discussed include interest of millennials in river cruising concept, the importance for agents to find the appropiate river cruise line when booking clients with children, and river cruises including in North America, Asia and Europe.

The article presents several answers to a question related to common questions that clients are asking about cruising.

The article provides answers from travel agents in Canada on the changes in their profession in the last 10 years as of August 2020.

The article offers information on the impacts of the Covid-19 on travel industry. Topics include that describing the rapidly changing situation as "uncharted territory," Tim Morgan, Virtuoso, Director, Business Strategy – Canada, recommended that its travel advisors take into consideration all government and preferred partner notices, in addition to the preferences of their clients; and mentions that Virtuoso's advisors is to focus first on the immediate needs of their clients.

Trying to get a piece of the largest river cruise market in the world makes sense", said Marcus Leskovar, executive vice president of Amadeus River Cruises. Riverside Luxury Cruises, the Hamburg, Germany-based river cruise line launched this year by luxury hotel group Seaside Collection, has also taken innovative steps to gain the attention of the North American market. Looking to expand their customer base - and tap into the world's largest travel market - European river cruise lines are finding new ways to leverage their appeal to North Americans. [Extracted from the article]

Passengers can, generally, expect fewer than 200 passengers on board a river cruising vessel, which lends itself well to social-distancing; and, at least in Europe, everyone must be double vaccinated. Simply put, enthuses Pam Hoffee, managing director of Avalon Waterways: "We're seeing record levels of bookings. "What continues to trend is that people really do like going on special interest cruises: wine cruises, pied piper types of things, etc." says Conroy of Riviera. [Extracted from the article]

The article reports on increase of the Riviera River Cruises commitment to the agency community by accepting bookings for European river cruises from travel advisors including assists agents with flight arrangements and pre and post-cruise hotel stays; and trips for advisors.

The article offers tips on how travel agents can increase their river cruise sales in 2016. These include providing clients with information about river cruise ships, booking a group with no noncommissionable charges and organizing a wine-themed European cruise as a birthday or anniversary gift for a client's spouse or partner.

Introduce your clients to international river cruising excellence with a local flair and give them the best value for a luxury product on European rivers. As always, shore excursions are based on our "cruise your way" concept with flexible booking options enabling you to create a personalized experience for your clients. NEW SHORE EXCURSION PROGRAM AND THEME CRUISES FOR 2022 With 2022 we are offering an exciting portfolio of new shore excursions, rounding out and expanding our existing shore excursion program. [Extracted from the article]

QUICK FACTS NUMBER OF SHIPS 12 RIVERS/COUNTRIES 20 itineraries across 10 rivers FOCUS ON Since January 2020, Riviera River Cruises only accepts North American bookings from travel advisors. Riviera River Cruises offers river cruise vacations with superior value. Meals on board include sumptuous breakfasts, superb lunches and four-course dinners, featuring international, classic and regional specialties in the main restaurant. [Extracted from the article]

The article provides information on A-list travel agents who specialize in cruises, including Mary Curry, Valerie Ann Wilson, and Ruth Turpin.

What other areas of travel received similar CDC scrutiny and "stop business" orders from the CDC? They then issued a statement that was not at all ambiguous: "The CDC recommends that all people avoid travel on cruise ships, including river cruises, worldwide, because the risk of Covid-19 on cruise ships is very high." Under two CDC chiefs, Robert Redfield and the current Biden-appointed director Rochelle Walensky, the cruise industry has been in the Covid crosshairs. [Extracted from the article]

The article offers information on various issues related to river cruising to be offered for clients by travel agents in 2014. It mentions that Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection will offer travel in Bordeaux, France, vineyards and chateaux. It states that AmaWaterways will offer a voyage at Danube River starting December 27, 2014. It adds that Viking River Cruises will offer a 16-day tour in Myanmar and Thailand.

The article presents tips by travel agents around the U.S. about the best practices and other advice to boost cruise bookings. Brenda Daisey, franchise owner, Cruise Planners hosts wine shop events, such as an AmaWaterways river cruise night. Arvid Olson of Travel Leaders says his agents have completed specialist programs for several lines resulting in more leads. Lora Heifer, owner, Amore Travel Partners finds great values in air, travel insurance and pre-/ for her clients.

The article offers information on various fam trips for travel agents offered by several tour operators from June-November 2017. Topics include a fam tour offered by Canadian Gateway to Belarus which features four-star accommodations, the cruise fam trip of FAMTrips.travel and AmaWaterways in Danube River, and the 2017 Ultimate Fam trip of AFRICAExperts, Goway's division, in Kenya.

The article offers news briefs related to travel agents as of January 12, 2017. Topics discusses include hotel chain Outrigger inviting travel agents to take part in its Outrigger Expert Agent program; Avalon Waterways Specialist course offered by the Avalon Cruises for travel agents; and the Travel Institute to launch its Certified Travel Associate Program for travel agents and Avalon offering river cruises in Europe.

The Stanford business guru and author Tom Peters reminds us that "If a window of opportunity appears, don't pull down the shade." Apps and call centers are replacing travel professionals, and suppliers are responding by doing everything possible to entice the consumer into doing it all online with just a few clicks. These include Avanti Destinations, Classic Vacations, Gogo Vacations, Island Destinations, Pleasant Holidays and Travel Impressions. [Extracted from the article]

The article discusses the trends for river cruising in the U.S. in 2019. It highlights the business growth and expansions in travel operators, demand from diverse demographic and launch of various ships for traditional and locally focused excursions. It also offers information about the AmaMagna cruise ship from travel agent AmaWaterways LLC.

The article discusses trends in the cruise ship industry, noting consumer demand for luxury cruise travel on smaller ships. Topics include sales by the travel agency networks MAST Travel Network and Ensemble Travel Group, the growth in cruise ship business from the baby boomer generation, and the role of travel advisers in promoting cruise ship travel. The growth in river cruises is noted.