Katy Berzins, head of Tui River Cruises, told TTG trade bookings were “really important” to the line, which has four dedicated account managers supporting agents selling river cruise.
Over the past 12 months, the line has seen sales via independent agents increase by 30%, with 217 new agents starting to sell its cruises. Earlier this year, the line welcomed a group of independent agents onboard newly refurbished Tui Al Horeya on the Nile following the conclusion of its Make It On Tui River Cruises incentive.
“Trade business is massively important to us,” said Berzins. “Some of the agent campaigns that we’ve done have been really well received. It’s all about getting more agents to see the product. We’re always going to create the space for them to see the product, and that will continue with Tui Bahareya and Tui Aria.
“If third-party agents weren’t important, we would not be doing it [offering fam trips]. The trade is great at converting knowledge into sales.”
Tui Aria, the largest ship in the line’s fleet by capacity, will sail on the Rhine during its debut 2026 winter season, offering two itineraries – Mistletoe and Rhine and North Rhine Noel. It launches next spring.
The 190-passenger ship will also operate sailings including Rhine Explorer, Rhine Explorer 2 and Southern Rhine Delights. It will be Tui’s fourth to sail Europe’s rivers, joining other adult-only vessels Isla, Maya and Skyla. The line is also introducing new Danube sailings onboard Isla so guests can celebrate New Year and visit Belgrade festive markets.
To give customers more choice, Tui Isla will operate a four-night Danube cruise visiting Vienna, Linz and Bratislava. All 33 of its 2026/27 winter departures will go on sale on 3 July 2025.
Berzins added: “Every year, it seems to be getting stronger from an occupancy side of things. There’s some really strong demand. Shorter duration cruises are doing really well – three- or four-night cruises – across our Rhine and Danube programmes. It has taken us a couple of years to get to this point.”
While Tui River Cruises has only been operational for four years, Berzins insists the company has always known there would be “space in a growing market for us”.
‘Bridging the gap’
Speaking after Traflagar and National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions announced they would start operating river sailings, Berzins added: “We’re really confident in our own positioning. We’ve got the end-to-end service. That’s a huge USP for us.
"We’ve got Tui aircraft and the retail estate. We’re very comfortable in the mid-premium space. We want to change perceptions. It all about aligning expectations with the right product.”
Berzins said Tui River Cruises was trying to “bridge the gap” between the river and ocean cruise sectors by offering silent discos onboard and varied dining times.
But she added: “The draw is the destination and how we explore it. A lot of river cruise marketing does not explain that very well. We will give customers the tools to explore the destinations how they want.”
