CLIA UK & Ireland has announced its RiverView Conference 2023 will take place from 12-14 March in Vienna.

The event, the 11th to be held, will highlight the latest river cruise ships, information and selling advice. It is open to all CLIA member agents and will include multiple ship visits, key speaker sessions and a trade fair.

A number of river cruise themes will be covered, including sustainability, innovation, new itineraries and attracting first-time customers. Attendees will also spend two nights on board a river ship as part of the event.

CLIA ‘seeing increase’ in river popularity

CLIA UK & Ireland MD Andy Harmer said: “We’ve seen a significant increase in river cruise popularity over the past five-10 years, and we will ensure the trade can continue to capitalise on this demand.

“Last year’s RiverView Conference was a huge success thanks to the number of agents who attended, the influential speakers from across the industry who offered their guidance and advice, and the positivity and enthusiasm of all delegates. We can’t wait for next year’s event and are confident it will be just as productive and engaging.”

CLIA also recently unveiled three virtual training sessions, aimed at travel agents who are new to selling cruise, which will be held in November.

All will be free of charge and will take under 30 minutes to complete, the association said. The sessions will be hosted by Harmer, with “support from experts across the industry”.