Speaking at the Clia River Cruise Conference in Amsterdam, Edie Rodriguez said she believed the word “luxury” was overused, and that Crystal differentiated itself by labelling itself as “ultra luxury”.

“At Crystal we don’t sell luxury, we sell experiences,” she stressed. “We are the world’s only ultra luxury river cruise line; we’re not just luxury.

“Guests are attracted to the Crystal River because they’re finally a luxury brand in the river marketplace.”

Rodriguez said the line had helped to lower the age demographic for the market, with its own ship Crystal Mozart attracting the 40-age bracket, helped by additional features offered onboard such as speedboat rides “for tributary exploration” and in-suite iPads.

“This isn’t your grandparents river cruise any more,” she added.

Rodriguez stressed that younger people would be attracted to the market if the message was communicated more effectively. “There are a lot of younger people interested if we can articulate it to them why they should be interested. Today is a new day [for the sector].”