Why agents are pushing river cruise now more than ever
With lines and agents reporting a surge in river cruise bookings, the stage is set for a record-breaking year for the sector, writes Jack Carter
When Celebrity Cruises announced in February that it would be expanding into the river cruise sector in 2027, with 10 new ships on order, it caught many people by surprise.
The Royal Caribbean Group brand has made no secret about its ambitions to disrupt the ocean cruise sector, pioneering a number of industry firsts, the most recent of which being ‘Xcel Dream Makers’.
Allowing the public to vote on the culinary and entertainment offerings of its newest ship during a live activation in Miami is indicative of the line’s desire to do things differently. Will the line be bringing this disruptive energy to the river cruise sector? Time will tell, but VP of international Giles Hawke gave some indication at CLIA’s 2025 RiverView Conference in Budapest on 8 March.
“We think we’ve revolutionised what happens on the ocean,” he said. “We have a real respect for what happens on the rivers, but we think we can do quite a lot.”
Hawke had previously said during a private press briefing in February that the 10 river ships were part of an initial order, suggesting that more vessels could follow. Evidently, Celebrity is confident that demand is there.
“We know that over 50 per cent of our customers already either take river cruises or intend to,” he added. “We’ve got 15 ocean cruise ships, so we’re taking over a million passengers every year. If 50 per cent of those people are already saying they want to go on a river cruise, there’s a ready-made market who love what [river] cruising has to offer.”
By Hawke’s admission, Celebrity spends a “huge amount” of marketing spend on attracting new customers to cruise, which could spell good news for agents who are looking to grow their river business.
“It will disrupt the market, but it’ll bring a whole new clientele to river cruising,” says Anna Perrott, senior partnerships & marketing director, Panache Cruises. “We know Celebrity’s marketing is fantastic and they can reach out to a whole new demographic, so for us it’s a huge opportunity to get more people onto the rivers.”
Competing river cruise lines will understandably be concerned about the impact a new kid on the block could have on their business. However, for AmaWaterways’ managing director Jamie Loizou, he sees this as a positive for the sector.
“The ocean cruise market is migrating to river, but if you look outside of that, you’ve also got guests who traditionally tour or city break. There’s a huge market there and therefore there is a place for everyone.
“Celebrity will differentiate itself from everyone else – it will have to – but there is a river cruise product for everyone. It’s great that Celebrity understands what a fantastic sector this is. We’ve known it for a long time.”
It’s been a positive start to the year for AmaWaterways, with Loizou revealing that January was an all-time record month for bookings out of the UK and Europe. Loizou feels that there is an excitement for river cruising that hasn’t been present in recent years.
“I felt at last year’s CLIA RiverView Conference that there was a real buzz around the sector for the first time since 2018/19,” he says. “River was quite slow to come back after the pandemic, but last year the sector was absolutely flying and that momentum has continued.
“There are agents out there that are actively encouraging their teams to sell river. As a result, we increased our agent distribution by around 20 per cent last year.”
Loizou says the enthusiasm for river is in large part thanks to the investment that’s gone into educating the trade who are passing that knowledge onto their clients. “The lines and agents are doing a really great job of articulating the benefits of river cruise.”
River was quite slow to come back after the pandemic, but last year the sector was absolutely flying and that momentum has continued
While there’s no denying that interest in the sector is on the rise, certain barriers and confusion around the product still persist. According to Kirsty Van Wyk, travel consultant, The Holiday Village, some clients have a perception that they’re either “way too young” for river cruising or that it’ll be boring once onboard.
The best way to breakdown these misconceptions, Van Wyk argues, is through education. “River is growing faster than a lot of agents realise. The commissions are really high and it’s a solid product. That’s why I’ve invested a lot of my time to understand the sector.”
Van Wyk says that since her first river cruise booking in February last year, she’s since confirmed another 12 clients across seven different lines, explaining that the level of consistency means she is comfortable placing customers on different operators.
She adds: “If my client is happy with one river cruise line then I have peace of mind that I can put them on another. I wouldn’t have that same level of confidence with a hotel brand.” So where should agents turn to in order to grow their river cruise knowledge?
“The CLIA RiverView Conference is great for new-to-river agents,” Van Wyk says. “It’s really useful when you have somebody stand up and talk about their product. You can read all the paraphernalia but when you’ve got somebody who knows the product really well and can bring it to life, you understand what it really means to sail through that destination.”
It’s exciting talking about new ships, but new destinations are even more exciting
At Panache Cruises, Perrott says the luxury retailer has invested heavily in sending its front-line staff on fam trips to exotic destinations, such as the Ganges, the Nile and the Mekong, due to their potential to attract new-to-cruise customers.
“Those destinations are perfect for people wanting some form of adventure who don’t want to take the step into ocean cruise. It doesn’t feel as daunting if you’re twinning a land tour with a cruise, they’re both such a natural fit.”
This is one of the reasons why Perrott is so excited about AmaWaterways’ imminent launch onto the Magdalena in Colombia, which will make the river line the first operator to sail the region for more than 60 years. It just goes to show that the most exciting product updates aren’t limited to ocean and expedition.
“It’s exciting talking about new ships, but new destinations are even more exciting,” she says.
