Just two weeks ago, the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA) held its second-annual River Cruise Expo in Budapest, the only event of its kind dedicated to this segment of travel.
ASTA hosted a record turnout of 750 attendees (650 advisors, plus 100 supplier partners), and of this group, 500 were new to the event. While there, attendees had the opportunity to tour nine river cruise ships from six lines, learn selling techniques and experience ships during pre- and post-event fam trips. Presenting lines included AmaWaterways, Amadeus River Cruises, Avalon Waterways, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours/Emerald Waterways and Viking, along with Riverside Luxury Cruises, which made its debut at the conference with RiversideMozart (formerly owned by Crystal Cruises).
Suppliers also took the opportunity to share the latest trends shaping the market today, while looking ahead to river cruises of the future.
ASTA’s River Cruise Expo drew 750 attendees.
Credit: 2023 ASTAMore Ships on the Rivers
The flashiest “new guy in town” is undoubtably Riverside Luxury Cruises, a new ultra-luxe line from family-owned Seaside Collection. Eager to fill the gap left by Crystal Cruises’ exit from the market, Riverside has purchased Crystal’s leet of river ships (Mozart, Debussy, Bach, Ravel and Mahler) and plans to debut them between now and 2025.
ASTA’s expo marked the official launch of the Mozart on the Danube River; the ship was christened during the event in a surprise ceremony, with travel advisor Tiffany Hines of Global Escapes named as the vessel’s Godmother.
And other lines are celebrating their own successes: Viking recently announced that it reached a milestone of 100 ships in its fleet (to commemorate the occasion, the line gifted more than 200 free cruises to expo attendees) and introduced its new Viking Travel Advisor Academy. Amadeus revealed the new Amadeus Riva, a newbuild that will be christened in May. AmaWaterways is preparing to debut the AmaMagdalena and AmaMelodia on Colombia’s Magdalena River in 2024, and Avalon is gearing up to launch on the Douro River in Portugal during the same year with Avalon Alegria.
Avalon Alegria will sail the Douro River in Portugal in 2024.
Credit: 2023 Avalon WaterwaysEurope Remains Hot, But Exotic Destinations Have a Leg Up
Far-flung destinations have been top of mind for river cruisers, according to Cruise Planners’ Terri McKinney, noting that AmaWaterways has “hit it out of the park” with the addition of Colombia.
“It’s awesome that we are looking at new countries and new destinations,” she said. “It’s going to be a bigger draw, too, for the existing clients we have sold to. The majority of my clients want to see destinations. The trend [moving forward] is going to be the new destinations and new experiences.”
But that’s not to say that European river cruises have lost their appeal. Jackie Friedman, president of Nexion Travel Group, says she believes they’ll continue to be “hot, hot, hot.”
“Hotel space over the high season is at a premium, if you can get it at all,” she added. “That makes river cruising even more attractive for people who want to visit during that time.”
We had noticed people staying closer to home, but over the past several months there has been a shift to Western Europe and the aspirational places that people want to get to over there.
Zane Kerby, president and CEO of ASTA, agrees, noting that Western Europe remains especially popular, but advisors shouldn’t discount other ports in Eastern Europe, such as Budapest.
“We had noticed people staying closer to home, but over the past several months there has been a shift to Western Europe and the aspirational places that people want to get to over there,” he said.
“There was some talk yesterday during panels that although certain areas in Western Europe are doing well, places like Budapest are lagging a little bit.”
AmaWaterways’ AmaMagdalena will debut in Colombia.
Credit: 2023 AmaWaterwaysNew Travelers Are Heading to the Rivers
As river cruise lines continue to build new ships, they’re also amending cruise itineraries to fit an ever-evolving clientele that now includes families, young couples, affinity groups and solo travelers.
“The river cruise lines are constantly looking at their product — Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours and Emerald [Cruises] announced they are launching a family river cruise, because generally there is a perception that river cruising is for people who are a bit more mature … but that’s no longer the case,” ASTA’s Kerby said, noting that lines are continually positioning themselves differently based on current trends. “People also think there are set tracks [for shore excursions], but river cruise lines are launching more freestyle programming. So, watching them adapt to the marketplace and address some of the perceptions to increase market share has been really exciting.”
The river cruise lines are constantly looking at their product ... Watching them adapt to the marketplace and address some of the perceptions to increase market share has been really exciting.
Avalon Waterways is one such line; after seeing its demographics skew younger, the company added Active and Discovery shore excursions to their Classic option, said Camille Olivere, chief sales officer for the Globus Family of Brands (Avalon’s parent company). She says that hiking and biking brings in a younger clientele, and a river cruise is a great supplement to other “sun and fun vacations” because of its educational and cultural components.
“We had a lot of people bring adult children or high-school aged children on the ships, and they really enjoyed it,” she said. “You now have the ability to pick between a classic shore excursion where you see the iconic sites, or something that’s more tangible — a cooking class, or a cultural hands-on immersive experience.”
AmaWaterways, meanwhile, is capitalizing on the popularity of pickleball; it recently unveiled a full-size court onboard the AmaMagna (and Amadeus is reportedly planning pickleball-focused itineraries for later this year).
“We have everything to open up the river cruise product for everyone,” said Kristin Karst, co-owner and executive vice president of AmaWaterways. “It’s about personalization and customization. So many new markets are opening up, and that’s the fun of it. We want to grow river cruising, we don’t want to take things away from each other. It is opening up new interests.”
Last month, Riverside Luxury Cruises debuted the Mozart.
Credit: 2023 Riverside Luxury CruisesSpending and Bookings Are Up
Travelers are also loosening their purse strings when it comes to river cruises. Karst said AmaWaterways sells from the top down (suites are the first to go). Avalon’s Olivere thinks travel advisors are critical during the sales process (noting that Avalon’s product is currently performing ahead of land tours offered by Globus).
“Everyone is building ships, and we are doing a lot more marketing that’s bringing in more people to river cruising,” she said. “Travel agents are so important because they can present our product to people who wouldn’t discover it otherwise. People have a perception in their mind, but once they experience it, the light bulb goes on. They’re like ‘Wow, this is a great way to travel.’”
