LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER

Dear Readers,

If there were any questions about whether or not the bloom was off the rose when

it comes to River Cruises, the more than 850 travel advisors who responded to our

TMR Outlook on River Cruises survey say otherwise, overwhelmingly.

In fact, you might call it a love affair. River cruise clients are not only highly profitable

for advisors, but they are also ideal for groups. Agents also say that, virtually without

exception, clients come back happy and become pied pipers generating referrals.

We queried respondents, all readers of Travel Market Report, about whether or not

they specialize in river cruises; their sales volume during the past year as well as

projections for the next 12 months; how much they influence category and supplier

selections; preferences and characteristics of river cruise clients; destination

interest; obstacles to selling even more; future customer target; which marketing

tools are most effective; what type of B2B support they want; which lines they are

selling; and much more.

I want to personally thank all of Travel Market Report’s readers who took the time

to share their insights. I know this TMR Outlook on River Cruises will be a valuable

resource for the entire travel industry.

Yours truly,

Anne Marie Moebes

Executive Vice President and Publisher