Following the recent launch of Trafalgar’s first river cruise ships, TTC Tour Brands’ deputy CEO & chief sales officer Melissa DaSilva unveiled the tour operator’s 2026 UK trade engagement plans

Last weekend (10-12 April) saw Trafalgar unveil its first two river ships, the 128-guest Trafalgar Verity and Trafalgar Reverie, both of which have been chartered from Uniworld.

Speaking to Cruise Trade News onboard Verity, DaSilva emphasised the importance of engaging the UK travel agent community.

“Particularly this year, it’s important for us to get as many agents on the river as possible,” she said.

“We are new, so we need the travel trade to [come onboard] and say ‘okay, Trafalgar does know what it’s doing’. There has been hesitation among some agents who are waiting to see if we can deliver a good experience.”

Vice president of Trafalgar River Cruise, Damien O’Connor, announced that a third ship, Trafalgar Harmonie, will be chartered from Uniworld, will undergo a refit this winter in time for the 2027 river cruise season on the Seine.

Read more: Trafalgar to target multi-gen families, says the line’s VP

DaSilva also revealed the line’s first new-build ships will set sail in 2028, including its first Douro vessel, with the fleet set to expand again in 2029. The exact number wasn’t disclosed, but DaSilva did explain that by 2029, river cruising is forecast to represent 20 per cent of Trafalgar’s entire business.

Kelly Jackson, MD & SVP sales, EMEA for TTC Tour Brands – Trafalgar’s parent company – revealed that fam trips, incentives and competitions will be central to the line’s UK trade plan.

“We are working on what departures we can offer but we plan to get a lot of agents onboard,” she said. “We’re very lucky that we’re just across the pond so we have an opportunity to get many people across.”

DaSilva added: “We also have a really good fam rate that we’ve just gone out with on our distress departures, and we’re looking into offering an even lower rate so agents can come and experience [the product] themselves if they don’t want to do a fam trip.

“We didn’t launch until May so we’re not at 100 per cent capacity. We have room to carry travel agents between now and October.”

“We can build a seamless transition from land to river”

Travel agents have been curious as to where Trafalgar will place itself in the market in terms of both price and experience. According to DaSilva, the line will “sit somewhere between AmaWaterways and Viking”.

She added: “We’ve been very thoughtful in our price point and our inclusions so we’re somewhere that Trafalgar guests can afford.

“[River cruise] is a complement to the product we already have. We have to be in the game in terms of hardware, but I don’t think that’s where we’re going to win. We will win on shore, with our Be My Guest experiences and our guided pre and post extensions.

“We have opportunity to build seamless transition from land to river. That’s where we will shine.”

Despite Trafalgar’s global reputation as a tour operator, DaSilva said she’s been surprised by the number of bookings from new-to-brand guests.

“Of the guests who’ve booked for 2026, between 34 and 35 per cent are past Trafalgar guests, the rest are new to the brand.

“This was an unexpected consequence, but launching river cruises has opened us up to a type of customer we weren’t attracting previously.”

Trafalgar Verity and Trafalgar Reverie have now begun sailing on the Rhine and Danube, respectively, with third ship – Trafalgar Harmonie – operating on the Seine from next spring.