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Amsterdam: CLIA River Cruise Conference 2016

Edie Rodriguez
photo_camera Edie Rodriguez President & CEO Crystal Cruises. CLIA River Cruise Conference 2016. Amsterdam. Photo by Steve Dunlop [email protected] www.stevedunlop.com +447762084057

 ‘In business you need to grow or die’

In a competitive landscape you need to grow your business or die, Edie Rodriguez, chief executive officer of Crystal Cruises, told 350 delegates at the sixth CLIA River Cruise conference in Amsterdam. She also raised some eyebrows by suggesting there was ‘finally an ultra-luxury brand in the river marketplace’. Rodriguez said: “Crystal’s new owner Genting Hong Kong is investing billions of dollars to allow us to grow our business. Everything we do is based on listening to our customers – so exclusivity, customerisation and options are what we seek to offer our guests. “At Crystal we don’t sell products, we sell experiences that create memories of a lifetime. Crystal is the world’s only ultra-luxury river cruise line.

“We are attracting the age 40 bracket, so we have lowered the age demographic and 50% of our guests are new to river cruise.

“We offer an all-suite, all-butler service and the largest spa on the river. We have TVs behind mirrors in our bathrooms and Toto toilets for your tushi!

“Our 32ft Wider speedboat allows our VIP guests to sail off and propose to their future wife or spend a romantic evening away from it all.

“This is not your grandparents’ river cruise by any stretch of the imagination.”

River Cruise needs to be more sexy

Giles Hawke, chief executive of Cosmos Tours and Cruises and Avalon Waterways UK, also feels river cruise has huge potential to broaden its market.

In his opening conference speech he told agents that river cruise ‘needs to be more sexy’.

He was also keen to highlight that the river cruise line market can learn from the ocean sector’s mistakes and positives.

Hawke said: “We are probably about 10 years behind the ocean sector, but we can catch up really quickly.

Hawke also felt the river lines need to work hard is to differentiate between each other. He said: “Because the ships are pretty much the same size, same length and same width, it can be difficult to make the ships look very different.

“It is important that we communicate our key USPs to sell them well and so customers are able to understand the difference between each cruise line.

“Just talking about service and food is not enough – all the river cruise lines deliver that so we have to find more other things that are unique to talk about.

“We need to more do a lot more with technology and provide more online training, better pricing, give you better research tools and there’s a big technology opportunity for us.

“We also need to continue to develop our products from active cruises, cycling and city breaks to take river cruising across a broader age group – families can become a bigger opportunity for us – and bring it into the mindset of more people to make river cruising a little more sexy.”

He also told agents: “There’s a big earning opportunity. Most river cruises have an inclusive element, and when you look at what’s included it’s a fantastic and big earning opportunity for agents.

“This is the year that river cruise is going to blast off!

Third subhead ‘Grandparents have taken a bit of kick-in’

During the last day of the CLIA conference travel agents could visit six ships moored at Amsterdam Cruise Port.

On river cruise ship Da Vinci, Shearings Holidays national sales manager Michael Bowers told agents: “Grandparents have taken a bit of kick-in at this conference.

“Yes it is good to attract a broader market but many of our guests are retired and grandparents – and we love them.

“They are the core of our business. They are not boring, they are full of interest and love new destinations.

“We are all going to be living longer, working longer and taking holidays for longer so if some cruise lines don’t want your grandparents – we’ll have them!”

CLIA River Cruise
Giles Hawke, Avalon Waterways & CLIA Deputy Chair. CLIA River Cruise Conference 2016. Amsterdam. Photo by Steve Dunlop [email protected] www.stevedunlop.com +447762084057

River Cruise Excellence Awards 2016

The sixth annual CLIA UK & Ireland River Cruise Conference also included the first river River Cruise Excellence Awards 2016 hosted on Tauck’s ship Grace.

Steve Spivak, Tauck’s vice president global sales, said he was ‘honoured’ to host the inaugural awards ceremony which was also sponsored by operators including AmaWaterways, Avalon, French America Line, Pandaw, Uniworld and A-ROSA.

Andy Harmer, VP of pperations and director of UK & Ireland said: “It is tremendously important to recognise the individuals and businesses who make a contribution to the success of the industry – and we are delighted to be working with the whole river cruise industry in creating the first Awards specifically for this sector”.

The winners

CLIA River Cruise Agent of the Year

Juliet Archer, Bluewater Holidays

Best River Cruise Newcomer

Reader Offers Ltd

Best Marketing Promotion of River Cruise – Online

The Cruise Village

River Cruise Ambassador of the Year

Margaret McCorriston, Planet Cruise

Best Overall Performance – North

River Voyages (WTH UK)

Best Marketing Promotion of River Cruise – Retail

Baldwins Travel

Best Overall Performance – South

Iglu Cruise / Planet Cruise

Best Marketing Promotion of River Cruise – Homeworker Cruise.co.uk

Following the awards the official after party took place on board Emerald Waterways’ Emerald Dawn.

Congratulations to all the winners from Cruise Ports & Destinations magazine.

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