kabarsula 8 top tips from river cruise leaders offered in Talent for Travel game at Cruise360 bandar SLOT INDONESIA

Eight river cruise leaders went head-to-head in a Talent for Travel game show hosted by founder Richard Taylor, sharing their top tips on where river cruise growth is coming from, the clients advisors are missing out on, and how to convert ocean cruisers and land tourers onto the river.

Their advice, at the end of Team Seine versus Team Nile, in their own words:

• Matthew Beggs, business development manager, Avalon Waterways: “Let’s stop selling the hard product of river cruising and really tie it into what the client in front of you wants from the experience. Once we tap into that motivation, river cruising answers it – it’s exactly what they want.”
• Steve Richards, managing director Australia & New Zealand, AmaWaterways: “We’ve spoken a lot about Europe, but think outside of Europe as well – there’s Egypt and the Nile, the Mekong, very popular for Aussie and Kiwi river cruising, and Colombia. We launched seven years of R&D to reach a river no one had ever been to before, the Magdalena. This is raw tourism – if you’ve got clients who have been everywhere and done everything, I guarantee they haven’t river cruised this, because it’s never been done before. We’re also the only operator on the Chobe River in Botswana, with 28 passengers on that ship – another incredible experience.”
• Stewart Williams, country manager Australia & New Zealand, Riverside Luxury Cruises: “Is ocean cruising all the same? No – ships are different, they provide different services, different demographics, different pricing. It’s the same with river cruising. Get to know the product. Riverside is a German company owned by a boutique hotel operator, and we target the English-speaking market only – everything on board is English. Understand your product and the client it’s aimed at, and you’ll do incredibly well.”
• Andrew Young, senior VP Sales Oceania, The Travel Corporation: “The best opportunity for advisors is leveraging other ships within a brand’s portfolio. Once clients come back from a great trip, reach out and suggest where next in the portfolio. We’re coming out with new ships in 2028 on both the Rhine and the Douro, which is new for Trafalgar – our intention is that clients who experience our ships this year in 2026 will return with us on new rivers and new itineraries.”
• Tim Jones, managing director Australia & New Zealand, Celebrity Cruises: “Tap into that rich vein of people who have already travelled with us as Celebrity – they’ve loved us since we brought Celebrity Solstice here 15, 16 years ago, and she’s coming back in October. They already know the exceptional hospitality we deliver on board, so we’re an easy way to transition them into the river space because they’re travelling with a brand they know and trust. Start with those previous guests and get them onto the river with us from 2028 onwards – we’re sold out for 2027.”
• Robert Kalemba, director of Sales & Agent Programs, Scenic Group: “Invest in your education of this product and this category. River is not just Europe – there are so many other destinations and options out there, and we’ve just announced a substantial investment in India river cruising. It’s growing at a rapid rate, and so many people still haven’t experienced it. Your investment in that experience is future-proofing the expansion of the whole category.”