Cruise Trade News’ agent training roadshow event, The Cruise Challenge, hosted its first overseas event on Monday (24 March) in Germany, as part of InteleTravel and Riviera Travel’s inaugural River Cruise Conference

More than 100 travel advisors took over Riviera Travel’s Emily Brontë this week (23-25 March) for the homeworking firm’s three-day River Cruise Conference in Cologne.

The conference came off the back of news that InteleTravel had doubled its river cruise business, with the company’s UK & Ireland managing director Tricia Handley-Hughes telling Cruise Trade News she hoped the event would motivate agents to grow their river cruise sales. 

After a series of hosted dinners, ship tours and a morning excursion courtesy of the Cologne Tourism Board, the three-day sailing concluded with The Cruise Challenge gameshow, where agents were tested on their Riviera Travel knowledge to win a host of prizes.

With the room split into three teams, agents were treated to a series of short presentations from Riviera’s Amanda Docherty and Chris McCloskey, who shared details on the line’s upcoming ship launches and trade booking incentives.

Agents also got to hear from Cruise Trade News editor Jack Carter, who shared some of the exclusive findings from our 2025 Annual Report.

With the presentations complete, The Cruise Challenge’s effervescent host Pete Smith took to the stage to quiz each team on the key insights revealed to them earlier that afternoon, with a free Riviera cruise up for grabs for the winning agent.

“We had an absolute blast at the inaugural InteleTravel River Cruise Conference,” said Grace O’Callaghan, an independent travel agent based in Ireland. “The Cruise Challenge was a huge hit, with agents soaking up all the great information from the presentations.

“Things got pretty intense as the competition heated up, especially with the chance to win a fabulous Riviera cruise, but the energy was electric, and we’re sure this excitement will lead to even more sales and success all around.”

Scott Weston, an independent travel agent based, added: “It was great to catch up with the Cruise Trade News team. The Cruise Challenge is invaluable, whether you are established in the sales of ocean and river cruises or just starting out.

“They pull everything together from suppliers and make their input informal but the knowledge goes in and stays thanks to the game show with the high-octane host Pete.

“The input gained from Riviera whilst on the Emily Brontë allowed me to secure a booking with a client whilst still enjoying their hospitality.”

Cruise Trade News caught up with some of the other agents onboard to ask them about the importance of experiencing the fiver cruise product first-hand.

Rachel Coquard, independent travel agent based in Cambridgeshire

“I saw InteleTravel advertise the River Cruise Conference a couple of months ago and, really, it was a no-brainer because I have lots of experience in ocean cruising but not as much in river.

“Having booked a client on a river cruise already, I wanted to learn more, and there’s only one way to do that and that’s by experiencing it myself.

“Being exposed to the product makes it so much easier to sell. Being onboard Emily Brontë for two nights, I now know more about it, I’ve experienced the ship and I’m going to be able to sell it much more easily.”

Jo Flowers, independent travel agent based in Cambridgeshire

“River is something I’m really interested in so I thought the conference would be a great opportunity. The demographic I book for tends to be more 50+ so I thought this is something that would interest them as well.

“You get such a good insight from being onboard. I’ve been taken aback by how luxurious the ship is and how relaxing it is onboard. Unlike an ocean cruise, there’s so much to see while you’re sailing. My clients know I’m onboard and they’ve already asked me questions about the ship so I can go back and tell them how it works.”

Lisa Williams, independent travel agent based in Worcestershire

“Seeing the ships for yourself and being able to decide which clientele they fit with best is invaluable, especially in the river cruise sector where it can be difficult to differentiate the river cruise lines on first glance.

“River cruise is definitely on the rise. People want to see cities rather than fly and land on a beach somewhere. I’m currently pushing river cruising to groups and hobbyists such as jigsaw puzzlers, because ships like this have the space and they sail into the heart of cities.”