Brinley Hineman
A panel of six river cruise executives joined me on stage at CruiseWorld in Fort Lauderdale last week where, along with TravelAge West and TravelPulse group vice president and editorial director Ken Shapiro, we discussed the buzz in the industry.
Our panelists -- Marilyn Conroy of Riviera Travel, John Dennis of Viva Cruises, David Fredericks of Century Cruises, Richard Hickey of Avalon Waterways, Kristin Karst of AmaWaterways and Arjun Sinsinwar of Antara Cruises -- spent 45 minutes diving into the industry, discussing emerging destinations and a changing demographic of cruisers.
The key takeaway?
There's a river cruise for everyone. Advisors just need to find the right brand and itinerary for their client.
On new river cruise destinations
For those who are ready to venture outside of Europe, Sinsinwar spoke about what's to be found on the Ganges River in India, where his family's company operates. Antara is expanding India's river cruise industry in a way few other operators have, showcasing the country's culture and natural beauty on the country's most sacred river.
"India, of course, is a vast country with so many lands, so many people, so many places, so many communities," he said. "And the idea is that all the rivers really have nurtured incredible empires, incredible textiles, incredible poetry and literature. And all this and more can be developed and discovered along the rivers."
Century Cruises operates on the Yangtze River (but is expanding to Europe due to the opportunity it sees there). Fredericks said, emerging from the pandemic, the brand has been focused on promoting the destination to North Americans.
"It's more of showing the beauty of China itself and the amazing Unesco World Heritage Sites and all the amazing wonders that you can see, the diversity in the people, the culinary experiences as well as diversity in the landscape," he said of Century's marketing strategy.
On off-season travel on Europe's rivers
Avalon's Hickey spoke about the line expanding its cruise season. No longer are passengers satisfied with cruising the rivers under the summer sun. They're now pushing for river cruising to be a year-round experience.
After 75% of respondents told Avalon in an internal survey that they wanted more off-season cruise options, the line unveiled harvest-time cruises, Hickey said. And, he said, these shoulder-season cruises are easier on the wallet, at about a 35% discount.
"It's important to know that November is really a great time of year to travel," he said. "It's not too cold, the weather's fine. It's a great experience, because there's not that many travelers out there."
On catering to all client profiles
Solo travel is thriving. Conroy said that at Riviera the solo market has grown 40% in three years, driving it to amplify its focus on the segment.
Though the line has dedicated solo departures and has waived extra fees penalizing solo travelers, that was just the beginning. Riviera in 2027 will launch what the company says is the world's first cruise ship dedicated to solo travelers.
"Solo cruises are great for true solos and for people who just want to travel using their own cabin," she said. "And I think it's fair to say that we offer more opportunities than anyone else."
Avalon is also adjusting its approach to river cruising to meet changing client demographics. Though river cruising has a reputation for older travelers (or, as Hickey put it, "mature" travelers), Avalon is observing a spike in younger Boomers and Gen Xers hopping on board.
"To really drive the demand with this market, we have our 'choice excursions' where guests get to choose, based on interest and activity, up to three per port of call," he said. "We've got flex dining, so there's no set dining time, including room service, and we offer a really relaxed luxury experience on board."
AmaWaterways' Karst spoke about attracting families through the company's partnership with Adventures by Disney. The Disney-trained guides tailor the trip for families with younger children.
"We know post-Covid how important it is to spend time together now, because nobody knows what's coming tomorrow," she said.
On the industry's future
Viva's Dennis said he thinks the future of river cruising lies in customization. River cruisers want more choice in their excursions -- a point Hickey also addressed -- leading lines to offer multiple options for port excursions.
The types of excursions are changing, too he said, with lines offering everything from cultural experiences to foodie tours to active excursions.
"I think all of us are continually trying to refine this product, which means the winner is the consumer," he said. "We continue to give them a better and better product."