PHOTO: Self-guided tours provide guests with ways to explore on their own. (Photos courtesy of Scenic)

River cruising is a hot ticket for travel agents these days, with river cruise companies relying heavily on the trade to make sales. But with new ships hitting the market each year and companies expanding to more rivers across the globe, how do you choose the right product for your clients?

They may know some of the big players, but international brands are slowly making inroads into the North American market as well. Scenic, an Australian river cruise and land tour company formerly known as Scenic Tours, just went through a major rebranding, emerging with a shortened name, revamped logo and new mindset that highlight what the luxury river cruise company offers guests.

“Over the past 15 months we’ve tried to encapsulate something that we do now and are as a company. Scenic was the logo, and the feeling behind it was what we try and do every day,” says Scenic founder Glen Moroney. “We’re trying to open up people’s sense of wonder and what travel is really about — when everything just clicks. What we’re trying to do with our guests is create those moments so they have an experience that really is the time of their life.

Scenic Rebrands
“Coinciding with the christening of its next-generation “Space Ship” Scenic Jasper in April, the rebranding is just one way the company is working to stand out in the marketplace with its five-star, all-inclusive cruises. Last year about 10 percent of sales came from the U.S. market, but with Scenic’s new look, the brand aims to capture more guests from America. Here are 10 ways to sell Scenic to your river cruise customers.

Sell the all-inclusive factor: Scenic’s cruises offer some of the most inclusions of any river cruise line. Fares include airport transfers, ship and land gratuities, Wi-Fi, butler service, unlimited beverages (including top-shelf alcohol) throughout the day, minibars restocked daily, all meals, 24-hour room service and all excursions.

Scenic also offers a special air program for summer and fall cruises in France, making the French river cruising products even more inclusive. Rates start at just $4,505 per person for the nine-day “Enchanting Rhône” Nice-to-Paris cruise.

“The thing that our clients appreciate the most is the all-inclusivity of a Scenic cruise, including as much choice as possible,” says Joe Maloney, Scenic’s vice president of U.S. sales and marketing. “If your clients get sticker shock looking at the price for one

of the longer cruises, remind them that once on board, they don’t have to dip into their wallet.”

Showcase innovative ship design: There are currently 12 ships in Scenic’s fleet, with plans for four more in 2016. Despite the steady growth, Moroney has made sure the ships are constantly upgraded, so guests get a similar experience on board both old and new vessels. As the next-generation “Space Ships” debuted this year with Scenic Jasper and Scenic Opal, older generations will also be refreshed, and so travel agents can rest assured there is consistency for product delivery no matter which ship their clients sail on. Scenic’s ships are some of the largest that can fit through the river locks and offer some of the most spacious suites on European river cruises, with Scenic Jasper’s Royal Panorama Suite measuring 475 square feet.

PHOTO: Scenic Jasper is one of the company’s newest all-inclusive ships.

Scenic also was the first operator to add balconies to its river cruises, and now 85 percent of all staterooms on its ships have them. These also aren’t ordinary balconies either — Scenic developed its own Sun Lounges for suites that can open or close depending on the weather. The new-generation ships also have vitality pools, expanded suites, larger dining areas and an all-marble finish in the foyer.

Enjoy five-star service: Whether your clients are staying in a standard stateroom on Scenic Jasper or if they are in the Royal Panorama Suite, they will have 24/7 personalized butler service. Trained at the International Butler Academy in the Netherlands, butlers provide different services depending on the category of stateroom, such as in-room refreshments and shoe shining, or unpacking guests’ luggage, and drawing a bath for those in the junior and Royal suites.

Your clients don’t need to worry about being shy, since butlers explain all of their duties at check-in, and the gratuity is included in the fare. The same goes for tipping during the rest of the onboard experience. With a staff-to-guest ratio of 3:1, you can rest assured your clients will get great service.

Get more built-in choices: Your clients will have plenty of choices built into the all-inclusive package, so whether they want to take an included tour, sleep in and order room service, or set off on their own self-guided tour, they can take their pick.

“We decided that ‘one size fitting all’ was probably a dead concept for touring. We thought people wanted to do their own thing — they wanted a range, a choice and they didn’t want to go where everyone else was going,” Moroney says. “Because excursions are included, people can do a whole stack of things that they normally never would have done.”

On board, guests can choose from six dining options, including 24/7 room service and two specialty dining spots, such as fine-dining Italian Portobellos, open to all guests at least once during the trip, and Table La Rive, a private food and wine pairing for 10 guests open to Diamond Deck passengers.

Scenic also just launched the third version of its Scenic Tailormade, a device about the size of an iPhone, with maps and programmed excursions for walking or cycling trips. There are a few options for each destination, so passengers can set off solo by foot or on one of the onboard electronic bikes and the Tailormade will guide them back to the ship when they want to return.

Experience stand-out excursions: Scenic started as a tour operator in Australia 29 years ago, so the company “knows how to show the destination better than anyone else,” says Richard Hickey, Scenic’s district sales manager for the Southeast. Scenic offers 21 land-based excursions, dubbed Scenic Freechoice, to choose from in 14 spots on 15-day cruises. On Scenic Jasper, for example, passengers can explore the labyrinths of the Hospital in the Rock in Budapest or spend the day soaking in the thermal baths.

Book shorter itineraries: Seven-night cruises count for half of all North American sales, so Scenic has pared down some of its lengthier itineraries, giving travel agents more products to sell. Scenic Jasper’s shorter itineraries include, for example, the eight-day “Highlights of the Rhine” from Amsterdam to Basel and the eight-day “Gems of the Danube,” from Budapest to Nuremberg.

Enjoy a highly social setting: One of the major perks of river cruising is the size of these small ships, especially when compared to large ocean liners. “It’s actually easier to be more private on a big ship than a small ship like this. Our customers generally enjoy traveling with other people,” says Maloney.

The typical Scenic guests are 55 years or older and want to cruise because they have a distinct interest in the destinations visited and want to share these experiences with old and new friends alike. “It’s the type of client who enjoys the social interaction that comes with the intimacy of a product like this,” Maloney says.

Get exclusive experiences: Scenic’s Enrich Events are arranged exclusively for Scenic passengers. Next year, for example, Scenic Jasper’s “Jewels of Europe” trip will feature the new Scenic Enrich “Best of The Sound of Music and Salzburg Show,” a private “Sound of Music” concert performed in an old chalet in the hills above Salzburg where the film was shot.

This year Scenic also launched another special event for its guests, Scenic Sundowners, arranging one stunning spot on each cruise for an evening toast.

Book an American-friendly product: Scenic has been incorporated in the U.S. since 1998, but the company has really made strides with the American market over the past two years. The Australian company is making its ships more American-friendly with onboard additions such as iced tea, takeaway cups, more meat options, a salad bar and a health corner at the buffet.

Sell what you experience: Scenic is a very travel agent-centric company since “everything we do is through the trade,” Maloney says. The company offers marketing materials on its agent website, www.agents.sceniccruises.com, but the best way to sell the ship is by experiencing it first-hand.

In addition to fam trips, Scenic offers two programs to expose its product to travel agents: an agent rate of $495 per person (depending on space) for a balcony stateroom on its eight-day cruises when you book within 120 days, or 20 percent off fares outside of 120 days.

Scenic also is finding that as the U.S. market grows, agents are the ones really helping boost sales and spread word about the product. A common response from clients is that they may not have heard of Scenic, but they’re loyal to their travel agent and trust his or her recommendation.

For more information, call 844-788-7985, email info@scenicusa.com or visit www.scenicusa.com.