Riviera is currently trading 24% up year-on-year across all products, with solo bookings in particular rising by 57% against 2023. The company has already taken 90,000 passengers away on cruises and tours this year.
In 2019, around 15% of Riviera bookings came through agents. However, after several changes to its trade support this year, the company now sees around 27% of its sales come from agents.
In the past 12 months, Riviera has repeatedly strengthened its trade sales with the appointments of key account managers Suzanne Warren, Amanda Docherty, Chris McCloskey and Lloyd Morris.
It has also grown its trade sales support and trade marketing teams, while also offering more fam trips than ever before.
In addition, Riviera has invited agents to give feedback on its agent support during trade engagement meetings. Riviera has so far hosted three meetings with agents, including two this year.
Speaking exclusively to TTG on Thursday (12 September), head of trade and partnerships Billing said: “I started my role in early December – I came in and looked at what we needed to do.
“We had a meeting today with agents. During these meetings we go through everything – the good, the bad and the ugly. If we do not know about it, we cannot fix it.
“This is something that had started just before I arrived. It’s changed things quite a bit. It’s about making us easy to do business with. I’m always thinking, ‘Vicky, put your travel agent hat on’. Every decision has to be made with that mindset.”
Riviera met with agents at The Langham hotel in central London on Thursday at its third trade engagement meeting. “We had the last meeting in February and we’ve already acted on the feedback,” Billing continued.
"We’ve increased the trade sales and the trade support teams. We’ve also increased the trade marketing team and the key account managers out on the road. We’re on a positive path.”
Following the latest trade engagement meeting on Thursday, Billing hinted at more change. “On 3 October, we’ll be making an announcement," she said. "It’s exactly what we need to help us grow. It will help us take that next step,” she said.
Despite saying her team was “not perfect”, she insisted she had “a very strong team” which supported every kind of travel agent.
“We’re working with more trade partners than we ever had before,” she revealed. “We’re now working with The Advantage Travel Partnership and The Travel Network Group.
"We want to work with everybody that can sell us. It’s so good when I see travel agents that did not previously sell us make bookings every week.”
When asked which agencies Riviera would target next, Billing said: “There are always going to be some travel agents that do not sell us who we can work with. Scotland was a big one for us. Now we’re working with all of the agents there.”
In 2026, Riviera will operate its largest-ever river cruise programme to meet consumer demand as it launches a new vessel.
The 178-passenger Riviera Resplendence – a sister ship to the yet-to-launch Riviera Radiance – will offer Rhine cruises, Dutch bulb fields voyages and Budapest to the Black Sea sailings.
It will feature three dining venues, including new restaurant Mosaic, and a split level lounge and dining room. Other facilities include a spa and wellness area, pool, bistro with an open kitchen and a boutique gift shop.
The announcement comes as Riviera also revealed that bookings for Riviera Radiance and Riviera Rose, which both launch next year, are 20% up against the rest of the fleet.
“To meet demand, we’ve ordered a new ship,” Billing explained. “Around 78% of our river customers that come to us via agents are new to Riviera.”
