Updates, expert guidance and real-time support will be posted on the new Facebook group, Riviera Travel Official – Low Water Updates, alongside the operator's River Cruise Update Centre, which was announced at the height of the crisis in the summer.

River lines – including Riviera – have been in the spotlight this year after water levels dropped dramatically as temperatures soared across Europe. The extreme weather prompted Riviera to take several departures off sale in the summer and earlier this month.

Vicky Billing, Trade, Partnerships and Loyalty Director at Riviera Travel, said: "Throughout this period we've learnt that guests and agent partners want more than updates.

"They want transparency, reassurance and the opportunity to ask questions directly. Our new Facebook community allows us to do exactly that, bringing agents closer to the latest information while giving them access to the people making decisions behind the scenes.

"We believe it has the potential to become a long-term community."

Riviera Travel Chief Executive Matt Luscombe said some of the lessons the operator has learned over the past 10 weeks "have challenged us to think differently". "When circumstances are changing daily, there can be a temptation to wait for perfect information," he said.

"We've found that guests value honesty far more than certainty. They would rather hear what we know, what we don't know and what we're doing about it than be left wondering. That principle has guided every communication we've issued, whether to guests, travel agent partners or colleagues."

He added the ongoing water level situation will affect how Riviera operates its river ships and communicates information to guests and agents alike going forward.

"No forecasting model is perfect, but the ability to make decisions sooner gives guests more options, more time and ultimately more confidence," he continued. "It's something that will remain an important part of how we operate long after this situation has passed."