Slightly more than half of respondents (52%) said they

or somebody else in their agency specializes in River

Cruises. As a comparison, it’s significantly higher than

when we asked the same question in our Outlook on

Expedition Cruises (20%), which perhaps speaks to the

evolution of River Cruises becoming a bread-and-butter

segment for many agencies.

One agent put it this way: “I specialize in cruises; river

cruises are a sub specialty.” Several respondents told

us that having advisors who specialize in the category is

part of being a full-service agency. “We service all types

of travel,” she said. Another added, “I sell river cruises

as part of my full service travel agency.”

Still, many respondents (44%) said they are active sellers

of river cruises, although they don’t consider themselves

specialists. “We don’t specialize in this but a significant

portion of my sales come from river cruises,” said

one advisor.

Another said, “We are knowledgeable and sell them, but

I don’t consider us specializing in river cruises.”

One advisor said, “I specialize in luxury cruises and

propose river cruises as alternative to my clients.”

Specialization in River Cruises

10

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CHART 1

Do you, if answering individually, or does your agency, if answering as an owner/

manager, specialize in River Cruises?

44%

5%

52%

Yes

No

Not Sure