Prospecting for River Cruisers

Who are the best prospects for a river cruise these days? The answer might really surprise you. Over the past several years, river cruise lines have expanded their offerings to include more active excursions and experiences—and with a focus on the shifting travel demographics. As river cruising becomes an increasingly more mainstream travel segment, your eyes should be open to prospects and existing clients whom you may have not considered in the past.

Is 60 the new 30? For many travelers, this is indeed the case. Travvy Gold winner AmaWaterways has responded in kind by adding a variety of new features across its fleet this year, including Wellness Hosts, who lead passengers through a variety of activities throughout the cruise.

For instance, these staff members might conduct yoga classes, stretching exercises and even host lectures on how to incorporate wellness into your clients’ day-to-day lives. As a result, the experience for clients is very different than it might have been even just a few years ago.

AmaWaterways isn’t the only brand introducing new options for travelers, so make it a point to get up to speed on all of the various lines and what they offer for individuals, couples and even groups.

Since river ships are small and intimate, they make a great option for group bookings, where you can take over an entire ship or simply block 10 cabins. With the help of the teams at various river cruise companies, you can even create custom activities, excursions and meal experiences, both on board and off, to meet your clients’ particular needs.

The key is partnering with and working closely with a handful of brands that align with your prospects and clients. No offense to marketing groups, but the numbers don’t lie when it comes to what motivates travel agents to sell one supplier over another—and it isn’t their “preferred” status… or lack thereof.

Indeed, only 16 percent of travel agents surveyed in a 2018 MRI/Gfk report said that they “always sell preferred suppliers.” Eighty-four percent stated that they “sometimes, rarely or never sell preferred suppliers.”

Make sure you seek out those partners who can add value to your process of selling them while delivering an amazing experience for your clients and you’ll create your very own “preferred” partners.