Riviera Travel says an increased focus on agents has paid off, with trade bookings up 35% year-on-year.
Bookings for river cruises are up 51%, sales for solo departures in both cruise and escorting tours are up 66% and bookings for long-haul Signature tours are up 38%.
Overall, the trade team has increased its bookings share of Riviera’s business by 10% since 2019.
Signature tours include up to three enhanced experiences on existing itineraries and Riviera has added for more Signature itineraries to next year’s programme. The new tours: ‘Imperial Cities of Morocco, Jordan & Petra’; ‘South Africa’; ‘The Best of Japan’ and ‘Southern India’s Coastal Route’ bring the total on offer to 20.
The operator puts its success down to bolstering its trade team, with seven Key Account Managers, two newly created National Sales Manager roles, a dedicated trade reservations team now in place and an expansion of its trade marketing team from two to five.
Riviera also runs a bi-annual trade engagement committee, has launched a new e-learning platform, ‘Riviera Explorer’, and has hosted 10 fam trips this year.
Head of Trade and Partnerships Vicky Billing (pictured) said: “We are over the moon with the support we have had from our amazing trade partners this year. My team and I are so grateful for every single booking and want to sincerely thank all our partners.
“We constantly listen to agent feedback and shape our approach in terms of being easy to do business with and offering the best possible support. It’s vital for us to partner with everyone we can, including retail, online and homeworkers, whether they be in a store, working remotely or in a contact centre.
“It’s been particularly satisfying to see travel agents who have never sold Riviera making bookings on a regular basis. We have fantastic momentum with our established partners and are now starting to see new partnerships begin to flourish too. The upcoming peaks period promises to be our most exciting yet, with more opportunities on offer to the trade than ever before.”
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Bookings for river cruises are up 51%, sales for solo departures in both cruise and escorting tours are up 66% and bookings for long-haul Signature tours are up 38%.
Overall, the trade team has increased its bookings share of Riviera’s business by 10% since 2019.
Signature tours include up to three enhanced experiences on existing itineraries and Riviera has added for more Signature itineraries to next year’s programme. The new tours: ‘Imperial Cities of Morocco, Jordan & Petra’; ‘South Africa’; ‘The Best of Japan’ and ‘Southern India’s Coastal Route’ bring the total on offer to 20.
The operator puts its success down to bolstering its trade team, with seven Key Account Managers, two newly created National Sales Manager roles, a dedicated trade reservations team now in place and an expansion of its trade marketing team from two to five.
Riviera also runs a bi-annual trade engagement committee, has launched a new e-learning platform, ‘Riviera Explorer’, and has hosted 10 fam trips this year.
Head of Trade and Partnerships Vicky Billing (pictured) said: “We are over the moon with the support we have had from our amazing trade partners this year. My team and I are so grateful for every single booking and want to sincerely thank all our partners.
“We constantly listen to agent feedback and shape our approach in terms of being easy to do business with and offering the best possible support. It’s vital for us to partner with everyone we can, including retail, online and homeworkers, whether they be in a store, working remotely or in a contact centre.
“It’s been particularly satisfying to see travel agents who have never sold Riviera making bookings on a regular basis. We have fantastic momentum with our established partners and are now starting to see new partnerships begin to flourish too. The upcoming peaks period promises to be our most exciting yet, with more opportunities on offer to the trade than ever before.”
The post Riviera Travel trade bookings up 35% appeared first on Travel Gossip.
Continue reading...
