Riviera Fest shone a light on what makes the iconic brand – celebrating its 40th anniversary this year – stand out. Through free panel discussions, masterclasses, training presentations, virtual fams and even wine tasting, agents became Riviera experts.  

• Riviera launched “combination cruises” in February. “They’re essentially back-to-backs,” says Billing. “We’ve even got a combination cruise of 29 nights, taking in Budapest to the Black Sea. 
• The “absolutely beautiful” Porto Mirante, which features a pool, will be sailing Europe in July, while two new ships will launch next year, with Riviera in their names. The Riviera Rose will sail the Douro, the Riviera Radiance will sail the Rhine and the Danube. Both have lower Co2 emissions, and Radiance will have three restaurants (a “big deal” for Riviera). One of them, Mosaic, offers wine pairing with food. 
• The Jane Austen ship sails on the Seine and currently undergoing a refurbishment, while work on the Rhone’s Lord Byron has been completed. 
• The imposing fortress of Almeida has been added as a historic port of call on the Douro.
• Grand Tours have been added to Riviera’s touring portfolio after clients requested longer itineraries, and are “selling really well”. Agents can now offer 14-night itineraries to the likes of Italy and Japan. 
• Riviera has added nine Signature tours featuring such activities as afternoon tea at Reid’s Palace in Madeira.
• Riviera has reduced its tour group sizes from 50 to 36, and 22 for Signature trips, following customer feedback. 

Have a read of our write-up of the entire festival, here.