That was the consensus from a number of agents at the Clia River Cruise Convention. James Hill of GoRiverCruise said online capability still lagged behind, with some river cruise websites lacking capacity for online booking – a function that is taken for granted in other sectors of the travel industry.
“River cruise companies have got the hardware, but now there’s catching up to do and they have to refocus on the soft stuff if they want to fill their ships,” he said. Hill added that there was little continuity in this market, with large variations between the best websites and those that were virtually “impregnable” when it came to retrieving information, even basic facts such as sailing dates.
He attributed the rise of Riviera Travel to the clarity and ease of booking for agents through its website.
Hill’s comments came as new research produced for Clia revealed that advertising was playing an increasingly key role in river and ocean cruising, with 67% of customers recalling advertising, compared with the general travel figures of 35%. However, research company GfK said river cruise companies hoping to expand their customer base should look to place advertising alongside TV programmes aimed at younger audiences.
The research also highlighted that city breaks remained a key market from where river cruise could steal share, as data revealed that 42% of travellers considering a river cruise end up booking a city break instead. Around 1.1 million people took a cruise last year, with the German market ranking top at 34.7%; North Americans at 31.8% and the UK at 21.8%. Last year, the UK river cruise market among Clia members hit 139,400 – although this figure does not include Viking River Cruises, which is not a Clia member. Speaking at Clia UK’s River Cruise Convention in Amsterdam, Lucia Rose, UK and Ireland head of A-Rosa, said late bookings accounted for 37% of river cruise business, while the average spend was £1,495pp.
