Riviera Travel recognised its trade partners’ successes at its second annual agent awards in London

Following the inaugural Riv Awards in April 2025, Riviera Travel staged the event for a second year on 26 March at Hotel Café Royal to recognise the achievements of its trade partners over the past 12 months.

Matt Luscombe, who succeeded Phil Hullah as Riviera Travel’s CEO on 1 January 2026, said: “In 2025, the UK trade yet again achieved double digit revenue growth for Riviera Travel against an already record-breaking 2024, and so far in 2026 we’ve seen more records set for the trade, with more than 20 per cent growth in passenger numbers and more than 25 per cent growth in revenue against an already exceptional prior year.”

He also noted that the support of trade partners in the Republic of Ireland had played a “vital and rapidly growing part in our business”. For the first time, these agents were invited to the Riv Awards alongside those from Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales.

The ceremony, which was hosted by Vicky Billing, Riviera Travel’s director of trade and partnerships UK & Ireland, recognised runners-up and winners in regional, national and special award categories. Metrics for measuring success included volume, growth and engagement.

Julie Pinkney of Newells Travel, Truro, which was named Regional Store Winner for the South West, said: “I’m here on behalf of my shop and I’m so proud of what the whole team has accomplished.”

Kerrie Wilkinson of Fred. Olsen Travel, Felixstowe, which received multiple awards, including Regional Store Runner Up for the East of England, mirrored those sentiments, saying: “I’m so happy to be able to celebrate the hard-won success of our team over the last year, and we’re excited to see how we can keep that momentum up.”

Riviera Travel’s head of UK trade, Amanda Docherty, said: “It’s so great to have this chance to recognise the hard work of all of Riviera Travel’s partners, especially because we have so many frontline agents here today.

“Something many of today’s winners have in common is the way they use the tools at their disposal. We know not all businesses are the same, so we have a range of tools available so partners can take a tailored approach.”

She added: “We recently awarded agents prizes from our Vault, including trips to South Africa and Japan. We’re also excited for agents to experience upcoming river ships launching in 2027 and 2028, so definitely watch this space.”