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Tauck has eight, two-story loft cabins on the Ruby Deck, one of the lower level decks, that feature a one-and-a-half-story window and a raised seating area for dining located in front of the bed that faces the window. Each is a 225-square-foot, Category 3 cabin, which means they have midrange pricing. Tauck was able to build these loft cabins because the ships are designed to carry a relatively small number of passengers, enabling it to dedicate more space to this unique room design. Chief among them were return of river ships built by former luxury line Crystal Cruises.
Richmond Chapter: Meeting with Celebrity Cruises
During a panel discussion on how to convert first-time river cruisers, moderator Nicole Edenedo, senior editor at Travel Weekly, asked seasoned sellers what they hoped expo attendees would take away from the event. “There’s always these misconceptions you’re trying to break down to encourage people to try new things,” she said. There’s also a misconception that river cruising is really rigid, but it’s the most flexible style [of travel]. And with more advisors selling the product, there comes an influx of new-to-river clients, as well. Jennifer Halboth, CEO of Riverside Americas for Riverside Luxury Cruises, is hoping to attract “river-curious” travelers and get away from the perception that river cruising is only for an older demographic.
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And Viking’s Michele Saegesser, vice president of sales and national accounts, announced her upcoming retirement after 45 years working in the travel industry. On March 13, 12 river cruise ships across nine brands docked side-by-side in Amsterdam, serving as a home base for the travel advisors and supplier partners headed to the city for the American Society of Travel Advisors’ (ASTA)River Cruise Expo. In an industry that is always changing, ASTA provides a variety of resources to help travel advisors and the travel agency community thrive, network and stay abreast of the latest trends and innovations. Use our career center to find a job, fill a position or get career coaching. Watch one of our many free-to-members webinars to learn about products, trends and more. Plus, you can hone your skills and enhance your credibility by tapping into our training and certification.
The 2024 ASTA River Cruise Expo Kicks Off in Amsterdam - American Society of Travel Agents
The 2024 ASTA River Cruise Expo Kicks Off in Amsterdam.
Posted: Wed, 13 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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By the next year, attendance shot up to nearly 800 advisors, and while only six river cruises were present, there were nine ships on display. The 2025 Expo along the Danube River will offertravel advisors the ability to tour more than a dozen river cruise ships,access to network with several river cruise line executives, and the uniqueopportunity for accommodation and dining on the ships themselves. Due to theexpansive growth and interest the event has generated since it was launched in2022, next year’s Expo is expected to sell out quickly.
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Our 2025 promotional video featuring Alle Pierce, Emmy Award-winning television host, luxury travel advisor,content creator, and recently named Godmother of the Riverside Debussy, can be found here. Mark Meader, ASTA's senior vice president of industry affairs and education, told me that the event sold out within days of it going on sale last March. Of four finalists, the winner was Diane Frisch, owner of Diane Frisch Destinations. In addition to a lovely glass trophy, Frisch earned a complimentary VIP registration to next year's Expo, accommodations on an AmaWaterways ship during the Expo, as well a seven-day cruise on the AmaWaterways ship of their choice departing after next year's expo. The American Society of Travel Advisors opened registration to members for the premier river cruising event.
That was the case with the Joy and Riviera's Geoffrey Chaucer, the 176-passenger ship that it brought to the conference. The Cara launched in 2022 and the Riva in 2023, and the Nova will launch in June, in line with the company's "one ship per year" production rate. The Victoria is formerly the Crystal Bach (Uniworld has both the Bach and the Mahler under charter from Riverside; the Mahler is currently operating for Transcend). The same can be said of the newest ship to join Uniworld Boutique River Cruises' fleet, the S.S.
Alex Pinelo, senior vice president of sales for AmaWaterways, says the expo is a must-attend for the river cruise line to get in front of travel advisors who are new to selling the product. "We are happy to launch Riverside Debussy, our third luxury river ship to join the Riverside Luxury Cruises fleet," said Gregor Gerlach, Co-owner of Seaside Collection, parent company of Riverside Luxury Cruises. "We are dedicated to delivering Europe's most luxurious experience with the best ships and best dining on Europe's most captivating rivers. Our exceptional staff and crew look forward to welcoming travellers for the most seamless and luxurious European river cruise experience." The event also featured numerous opportunities for peer-to-peer learning via panel discussions, workshops and networking parties. During the conference, travel advisors swapped social media marketing tactics, spoke on the importance of forming strong advisor-BDM relationships, gave advice on booking groups on the rivers and more. "With the debut of Riverside Debussy, Riverside Luxury Cruises now offers travel advisors a third option for their clients to enjoy an all-inclusive, luxury European river cruise," said Jen Halboth, CEO of Riverside Luxury Cruises.
Upcoming ASTA Chapter Events
ABOUT ASTARebranded in 2018 as the American Society of Travel Advisors, ASTA is the leading global advocate for travel advisors, the travel industry and the traveling public. Its members represent 80 percent of all travel sold in the United States through the travel agency distribution channel. A 7-night voyage brings guests on a special itinerary from Nuremburg to Budapest, where she then ventures to the lesser-travelled Lower Danube on four voyages of 3- and 4-night itineraries. Guests will marvel at the natural majesty of Europe's deepest and longest gorge flanked by the Carpathian Mountains and the Balkan Hills; medieval fortresses and castles from the Roman, Ottoman, and Habsburg empires; and cultures and cities once veiled behind the Iron Curtain. Travellers can combine these itineraries for a 15-night, Lower-Danube adventure, cruising roundtrip from Budapest, or cross Europe from the Black Sea to the North Sea on a 23-night grand voyage, departing October 7 from Giurgiu to Amsterdam.
One of the biggest differences between Tauck's Joy and any of the other ships at the Expo, including the Chaucer, are the Joy's loft cabins, which need to be seen in person to get the full effect. It is where Travel Agency Professionals, convene for inspiration, education, and entertainment. Browse through the series of upcoming events below and register now to start expanding your knowledge.
Travellers can choose a six-night Christmas cruise departing Vienna on December 20 and celebrate Christmas Eve in Passau, or ring in the New Year in Bratislava and enjoy New Year's Day with an overnight in Vienna on a 7-night voyage departing December 26. In mid-September, Riverside Debussy combines the Rhine and Main rivers on a 7-night voyage from Amsterdam to Nuremburg. On this voyage, guests will include a stretch of the 106-mile Main-Danube Canal in Bavaria. A return voyage in late-October brings Riverside Debussy back to Amsterdam. For their parts, Riverside Ravel and Riverside Mozart will commence cruising on April 10 and 17, respectively.
A sold-out Cruise360, presented by CLIA, kicked off this week in Fort Lauderdale with more than 1,250 advisors in attendance. "It is amazing how much this event has grown since we first participated three years ago in Budapest," said Marcus Leskovar, executive vice president of AMADEUS River Cruises. "This is the biggest ASTA crowd I have seen in my 11 years at ASTA," said Zane Kerby, CEO and president of the American Society of Travel Advisors. "This event has grown exponentially over the last three years from 500 hardy souls in 2022 in Budapest to over 1,250 this year in Amsterdam." Finally, Kerby encouraged the advisors in the room to register for May’s Travel Advisor Conference (the rebranded ASTA Global Convention), which will feature tennis superstar Venus Williams as the keynote speaker. Kristie Keller, president of Addicted to Adventures, attended the expo for the first time last year.
Send an email with the subject line “SOCIAL MEDIA CONTEST” containing a link to the post to [email protected]. Being able to parlay the experience and connections gained by attending the River Cruise Expo into new business is powerful, Kerby said. Kerby used the event’s March 14 general session as a chance to share several updates regarding ASTA’s industry efforts.
Currently, the event will feature 15 ships across nine lines, in Vienna, Austria (with the final lineup of brands and ships to be revealed later this year). Advisors interested in registering for the event must have active ASTA membership. River cruise suppliers also took the stage to share the latest news and updates from the represented lines, which included new ship announcements and trends in the segment. That first interaction led to a spike in her river cruise business, specifically with groups.
In late-May, Riverside Mozart embarks on two, 3-night segments on the Lower Danube from Budapest to the Iron Gates in Serbia. Travellers can combine the subsequent, 4-night return itinerary back to Budapest to combine all three itineraries into a 7-night roundtrip voyage and does not repeat stops. Social media graphics related to this Politico campaign can be found in ASTA’s Social Media Toolkit on Flickr. Posting one of these social media graphics DOES count towards ASTA’s Social Media Contest (see above). The TravelPulse staff is comprised of experienced journalists and award-winning editors and writers.
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