Riviera Travel has revealed that trade bookings are up by 35 per cent year-on-year, with river cruises up by 51 per cent and dedicated solo sailings up by a further 66 per cent
The river cruise and tour operator has invested significantly in its trade team in order to increase engagement with UK agents. As a result, the line has seen an uptick in bookings across the board from its travel partners, with the trade team increasing its share of Riviera’s business by 10 per cent since 2019.
This includes a sharp rise in trade bookings for its ‘Signature Tour’ itineraries, which have seen 38 per cent growth in revenue year-on-year.
As such, a further four itineraries will be added to Riviera’s 2025 programme, including Imperial Cities of Morocco, Jordan & Petra; South Africa; The Best of Japan; and Southern India’s Coastal Route; bringing Riviera’s worldwide total to 20.
Vicky Billing, head of trade and partnerships UK & Ireland, Riviera Travel, said: “We are over the moon with the support we have had from our amazing trade partners this year. My team and I are so grateful for every single booking and want to sincerely thank all our partners.
“We constantly listen to agent feedback and shape our approach in terms of being easy to do business with and offering the best possible support. It’s vital for us to partner with everyone we can, including retail, online and homeworkers, whether they be in a store, working remotely or in a contact centre.
“We have fantastic momentum,” says Billing
Riviera has made a concerted effort to enhance its engagement with agents since the start of the year, with seven key account managers now in place, four of which were recruited this year.
Furthermore, two newly created roles – national sales manager, retail & OTAs; and national sales manager, homeworkers – have also been introduced, the latter ensuring these agents have a more responsive and tailored relationship with the brand. A dedicated trade reservations team is additionally now in place.
This was supplemented by the launch of a new e-learning platform earlier this year, Riviera Explorer, which aims to help agents improve their brand knowledge and represents the operator’s most significant investment to date in digital trade support. The platform already has over 1000 users, half of whom are new-to-brand.
The has line also hosted a record number of agents on fam trip so far this year, with 100 partners attending 10 sailings across the line’s river cruise and escorted touring product.
Billing added: “It’s been particularly satisfying to see travel agents who have never sold Riviera making bookings on a regular basis.
“We have fantastic momentum with our established partners, and are now starting to see new partnerships begin to flourish too. The upcoming peaks period promises to be our most exciting yet, with more opportunities on offer to the trade than ever before.”