Not Just Travel nearly doubles year-to-date river cruise sales
Not Just Travel has reported a 97 per cent year-to-date increase in river cruise sales, outpacing the wider cruise market by 67 per cent
The performance has seen river cruises double their share of the homeworking agency’s cruise portfolio, jumping from 3 per cent to 6 per cent of total cruise bookings year-on-year.
The growth follows Not Just Travel’s dedicated focus month on river cruises and touring holidays in March, which featured enhanced training programmes for travel consultants, introduction of new suppliers and promotional offers.
Steve Witt, co-founder of Not Just Travel, attributed the surge to a strategic focus on river cruise education and promotion.
“Our month-long targeted approach has clearly resonated with both consultants and their customers who seek more intimate, culturally immersive travel experiences,” he said.
“The substantial growth confirms our belief that river cruising represents one of the most exciting opportunities in today’s travel market.”
The agency’s portfolio spans operators including Riviera Travel, Scenic and Emerald Cruises, Uniworld, AmaWatereways, APT and TUI River Cruises, with bookings distributed across both European waterways and more exotic worldwide destinations.
The company has seen strong average selling prices across these bookings, indicating consumers’ willingness to invest in higher-quality river cruise experiences.
“The success of our river cruise initiative has been tremendous, but this is just the beginning,” said Clare Cruise, head of commercial at Not Just Travel.
“We’ve already begun planning an expanded programme for the coming year, including familiarisation trips and personalised training modules tailored to consultants at every experience level, from those new to river cruise sales to our seasoned specialists.”
