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Exclusive: Tui reports robust Nile demand despite Red Sea conflict

Tui River Cruises Katy Berzins

Demand for cruises along the Nile River has remained robust in 2024 despite ongoing instability in the Red Sea, according to the head of Tui River Cruises

Speaking exclusively to Cruise Trade News following the announcement of the line’s second vessel on the Egyptian river, Katy Berzins was unperturbed by skirmishing in the area.

“As with every part of the world, there’s situations that we’re constantly monitoring,” she said. “It can be volatile out there, so we work alongside the government to keep up to date on the latest travel advice. It’s something we continue to monitor and we’ll make the right decisions in line with that advice.”

She continued: “But at this point in time, [the conflict in the Red Sea] hasn’t tempered demand for river cruising in Egypt. We’re in a really positive position for this winter on the Nile and really well sold.”

Berzins said Tui River Cruises’ winter 2024 Nile programme is 80% sold and new bookings are still coming in “week by week”.

“We appreciate there may be some nervousness out there, but there’s also a lot of excitement and people that are absolutely wanting to travel to Egypt, whether that’s on a cruise or a land break.”

She explained how the uptick in demand for the Nile was the inspiration behind Tui’s decision to deploy a second vessel on the river in 2025, following the launch of its first Nile ship, TUI Al Horeya, next month.

TUI Bahareya will be the sixth ship to join the line’s fleet and will operate seven-night all-inclusive round-trip sailings from Luxor with two itineraries, accommodating 136 passengers and 68 cabins including standard French balcony cabins and superior cabins.

Al Horeya surpassed our expectations regarding pent up demand, which was one of the main indicators for us that we should introduce a second ship on the river,” Berzins explained.

“But we’re also looking at where that market demand is and we work with our counterparts in the wider Tui Group to offer some really great cruise and stay combinations as well as flight options.”

Tui River Cruises places focus on ‘authentic experiences’ with new Nile ship

Berzins said the company identified a gap in the market for consumers who are looking for “more authentic experiences” in Egypt. “And that’s the position we’ve gone for with our second ship, to build on that cultural immersion with Arabic inspired decor, cuisine and activities.

“Consumer trends evolve every single year and with everything happening in the world at the moment, people are looking for that security and confidence of a package company and to give that end-to-end journey – which a lot of our competitors can’t do, putting us in a really strong position.”

The importance of the trade to the successful launches of TUI Bahareya and TUI Al Horeya is not lost on Berzins. “We know how crucial [agents] are, particularly on some of these niche products, where that expertise and knowing the nuances and the logistical challenges around travel is really important. We value that massively.

“The trade also gives us really good access to new customer bases and regions which makes it a huge part of our future strategy. But that’s all words and the actions are the most important piece.”

Over the past 12 months Tui River Cruises has introduced dedicated on the road cruise account managers, hosted more than 9,500 agents on training events and bolstered its agency portfolio with 227 new partners.

“We’re starting to reap some of those rewards, build some new partnerships and strengthen some of the existing ones with trade,” Berzins continued. “So we’ll build on those successes and see where we can get out in person a lot more as well.”

While Berzins wouldn’t be drawn on what Tui’s 2025 wave period would look like, she did allude to “some really good lead prices and promotions”, and elements of marketing which will “benefit both consumers and the trade”.

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