major blow. While price used to be the top concern
in selling river cruises, the prime issue now is the
low water levels, particularly on European rivers
(53%). Suppliers and advisors must work together
to create a Plan B for such disruptions. One advisor
shared that they had to cancel a booking four days
before the start due to low water. How can cruise
line operators communicate in advance the options
for advisors and their mutual clients when such
disruptions occur? As previously stated, river cruise
clients are interested in sailing the river, not in a
land vacation.
Suppliers and advisors need to work in tandem
to showcase the value of the product and the
experience if offers, even when low water is an
issue.
Other challenges faced by advisors include
inexperience in selling river cruises, unfamiliarity
with brands and products, and not having the right
point of contact with the supplier. On a positive note,
a good 10% of all respondents stated that they face
no challenges at all, as there’s plenty of demand
for river cruise.
A segment that was impacted by the pandemic and is only
slowly recovering, low water levels have been another
28
|
CHART 15
CHALLENGES FACED IN SELLING RIVER CRUISE
TRENDS IN THE RIVER CRUISE SEGMENT
Concerns about rerouting and disruptions due to low water
Total cost of river cruising too high
COVID induced restrictions
Schedule did not match with client’s vacation time/preferences
Clients are not interested in river cruises
I am not educated on all of the river lines
Customer interest in river cruises isn’t as strong as it was a
couple years agocouple years ago
Not enough expertise to sell with confidence
A lot of my clients have experienced river cruises
and want to do something else
Not enough sales and marketing support from the river cruise lines
I am unaware of new products/brands
I don’t have a right point of contact at supplier
Quality of current river cruise ships is lacking
None, I have plenty of clients interested in river cruising
53%
42%
40%
18%
17%
16%
13%
12%
8%
6%
5%
4%
3%
10%
Photo Credit: ©BasPhoto / Shutterstock.com
AmaWaterways and Viking Cruises are the top
choice of river cruise lines for advisors with 38%
and 37% saying respectively that their agency sells
the company’s products and is a recognized producer
for them. Avalon Waterways and Uniworld are next
at 25% each.
In October 2022, AmaWaterways announced an
opportunity for travel advisors to earn Tour Conductor
(TC) credits on land packages and airfares, in addition
to the TC Credits they received for river cruises
themselves. This is available on Europe and Mekong
River cruises in 2023 and 2024. Today, many cruise
lines also offer their advisors a commission for their
clients’ alcohol spend while aboard the ship.
3
CHART 16
|
29
TOP SELLING RIVER CRUISE LINE BRANDS
TRENDS IN THE RIVER CRUISE SEGMENT
38%
37%
25%
25%
18%
13%
12%
12%
11%
11%
6%
4%
41%
37%
36%
32%
31%
28%
29%
31%
16%
23%
7%
11%
9%
4%
6%
6%
6%
19%
26%
35%
35%
43%
46%
47%
48%
59%
52%
29%
57%
54%
31%
41%
46%
35%
3%
7%
7%
13%
11%
9%
13%
14%
58%
28%
34%
63%
51%
46%
58%
AmaWaterways
Viking Cruises
Avalon Waterways
Uniworld/ U by Uniworld
Tauck River Cruises
Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours
American Queen
American Cruise Lines
Abercrombie & Kent
Emerald Waterways
Belmond
Amadeus River Cruises
Riviera River Cruises
Aqua Expeditions
European Waterways
CroisiEurope
Victoria Cruises
I/My agency sells this company and has been
recognized as a producer for this company
I’m aware of this company, but don’t sell them
I sell this company, but I/my agency is not a
top producer for them
I am not familiar with this company
Photo Credit: ©Ruth Peterkin / Shutterstock.com