1. Puglia is included in one of 12 new Europe itineraries
A Puglia tour is one of 12 new itineraries in Riviera’s Classic European Tours category, all of which were launched in April 2025. Puglia, found in the “heel” of Italy, is a destination that Riviera has offered in the past but has re-established after a recent visit to the destination – to iron out new and different ways to offer the region.
2. Albania is a brand-new destination for Riviera
Albania has been added to Riviera’s portfolio. “It’s a really buzzy destination at the moment,” said Sarson.
He explained: “I went out there 10 years ago and it wasn't ready for tourism but over the past couple of years it’s really come on leaps and bounds. They’ve got great infrastructure, they’ve got great hotels, great scenery, and now people can really start to enjoy all the wealth of interest and history, and the really good food that Albania's got to offer.”
Sarson also highlighted South Korea as an “interesting one” further afield. “We take thousands of passengers every year to Japan, and they come back and say ‘ah, we loved Japan, where next?’ and South Korea is the next tour for guests who have been to Japan and want something similar but not the same,” he said.
3. Riviera has relaunched its Signature collection
The relaunch of Riviera’s Signature collection took place in April. “We looked at ways we could do things bigger, better, more experiential than ever before,” said Sarson.
“In Madrid we go to a flamenco theatre, where you can feel the air coming off the stage when they’re stamping their feet. In Cadiz, we go to Cafe Royalty where you have an afternoon tea, and you really do feel like royalty when you're there. Then in Tuscany we visit a family-run farm house, where we have a proper Tuscan family style lunch. So there’s everything from the super classic to the super rustic – we’re trying to find ways for people to really feel the destination.”
In order to improve customer experiences further, Riviera has made the decision to move all product within the Signature range up to a minimum four-star standard. Riviera isn’t tied to one hotel provider, so the team chooses which hotel is best for which tour, specifically.
“Whether it be the most perfect location, something that fits in with the flow or tells the story of the destination, we don't like to limit ourselves to working to one particular chain,” explained Sarson.
4. There are two new river cruise itineraries to consider
Riviera has revealed two brand-new itineraries on its river cruises. First is a Festive Cruise to France, already offered in Germany and along the Danube but now also available on the Seine.
Second is a Discovery sailing. One year ago, Riviera launched its Discovery sailings, which are short, taster cruises lasting only three or four nights and designed for people who are new to cruise.
According to Sarson, these Discovery cruises were a real hit, but customer feedback asked for them to be offered on the Danube too. So Riviera has since launched a new Danube itinerary, with the holiday spanning four nights across Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava.
5. New additions to Riviera’s river cruise fleet
The first guests walked onboard Riviera’s brand-new river cruise ship, Riviera Radiance, on Monday 9 June as it set sail on its flagship journey down the Danube.
In July 2026, the sister ship to Radiance, the Riviera Resplendence, will set sail. Both ships have new features, new designs and a new restaurant called The Mosaic, which offers dishes inspired by the rivers of Europe.
Sarson said: “Whether that’s perch fish from the Rhine, or pastel de nata from the Douro, or a warming goulash from the Danube, it’s all on there, and it helps you feel like you’re connecting to the rivers… and of course we’ve got some nice wine pairings which are all inspired by the vineyards around the areas you're sailing.”
6. The operator is putting a renewed focus on flexibility
Besides new destinations, new routes and new ships, Riviera shared a strong message on flexibility. A growing trend is that guests are preferring the personalisation of trips that comes from having optional excursions to choose between.
In many of Riviera’s destinations, guests can choose between multiple excursions that are included in the price of the trip. They can decide between these excursions, remain on the ship, or choose to go on an additional, payable excursion that is more niche or specialist.
Examples include the popular eat-like-a-local tour in Serbia, or visiting a truffle farm in Rhone. “This is a great way for people to tailor the cruise to suit their own style,” explained Sarson.
7. A sixth Croatian yacht cruise itinerary has been added to the agenda
Currently, Riviera has five ships sailing around the islands and coasts of Croatia, but in 2026 the operator will be welcoming a sixth.
The MS Equator will be following a new itinerary in Opatija, and will visit Pula, along with some of the lesser-known islands like Krk in an attempt to show a different side of Croatia that many visitors miss out on by visiting Dubrovnik and Split.
Sarson said: “All of these innovations come about as a result of listening to customers. So we can always be pretty sure that the things that we are doing are going to be really well received by customers and really enhance their holidays because the ideas come from them in the first place. They give us a bit of feedback and we take that and try to turn it into something amazing.”
Find out more and watch on demand at ttgmedia.com/riviera-fest.
