Celebrity Cruises, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions and Trafalgar all announced plans to start operating river sailings either in 2026 or 2027.
Following each announcement, there was speculation within the trade and among suppliers about how the market would react.
Furthermore, Viva Cruises will launch a new high-end brand – Viva Boutique – next year, with one ship – Viva Beyond – sailing on the River Seine before another as-yet-unnamed vessel enters service in 2027.
Both ships are being supplied by Viva’s parent Scylla AG, which currently owns a fleet of 40 vessels.
Can the river sector accommodate any more lines?
On Celebrity Cruises, National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions and Trafalgar’s market entry, Viva Cruises chief executive Kruse said: “I think it’s generally brilliant. It means that river gets more attention.
“In the last 10 years river cruise has a different profile. People clearly think that river cruise is a good investment.”
However, Kruse added: “There are challenges in terms of the rivers. I think some of the rivers are [becoming overcrowded].
“We’re seeing this in Amsterdam – and there are now 32 ships on the Douro. I think this will become more significant in the future.”
Last September, Viva Cruises launched its new brand-within-a-brand concept, Viva Boutique, following a sustained period growth with more international guests sailing on its ships.
“I felt we were ready for the next stage,” Kruse said, of her decision to launch Viva Boutique.
She added rather than add “upscale” – or luxury – venues to Viva Cruises’ existing ships to meet demand from international guests, she decided to launch Viva Boutique.
’We do not discount’
Both Viva Boutique vessels will carry up to 112 guests and around half of the ships’ capacity will be suites.
Kruse said she would see how the market reacts to Viva Boutique before adding more ships to the fleet.
She vowed never to discount Viva Cruises’ nor Viva Boutique’s sailings even if demand for their products dips.
“We’ve never discounted in seven years. The retail price is the final price. We may offer a cabin upgrade but we do not discount,” Kruse explained.
“Yes, I prefer to leave cabins empty. With Viva Boutique if there are empty cabins, I would risk it. Once you start discounting it’s very tricky to go back. We don’t discount – that is a promise. I think the guests and the trade appreciate that.”
Currently around 55% of Viva Cruises’ guests are sourced from international markets outside Germany but the line wants to increase that to 60% to 65% in the next two years.
However, Kruse conceded currently “very low” numbers of British passengers sailed with the line.
“There’s a lot of room for improvement in the UK,” she explained. “Around 10% of our international guests are US, 15% are Scandinavian and there’s a lot of room for improvement in the UK. It’s low that’s why I wanted someone positioned here in the UK.”
’Refreshed’ online training programme
In April, Michelle Daniels joined Viva Cruises as a country manager to grow passenger numbers from the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
Daniels said she is currently in the “foundation stage” and is working with “key partners and getting contracts signed”, adding: “It’s all very positive.”
“Now we need to get to the next stage and get our marketing out there and the sales coming in,” she continued. “It’s a slow process but it’s about identifying where the opportunities are.
“There are lot of opportunities for the trade particularly with the new-to-river market. We’ve got to prove the market works. We’ve got to see there’s growth.”
Daniels revealed Viva’s online training programme is currently being “refreshed” with a view to it being relaunched in the “next couple of months”. “I’m trying to get it live as soon as possible,” she said.
“With our products I think there’s a huge opportunity for agents selling to cultural enthusiasts and historical enthusiasts. They can be couples, groups or solos. Agents can always reach out to me michelle.daniels@viva-cruises.com.”
