Research points to new approach to selling river cruises
Agents and river cruise lines should consider marketing the countries visited rather than the rivers cruised, delegates at the 2019 CLIA River Cruise Conference were told.
The suggestion was based on the findings of a survey of just over 1,000 travellers aged 50-plus.
The research by Mail Metro Media found the destinations visited were regarded more important than the rivers cruised or the focus of the cruise.
The poll found 59% of over 50s said the countries visited was important, compared with just 28% who said the rivers cruised and 20% who said the hobby or interest was important.
Further research showed the appetite for different river cruises was not influenced by a consumer’s knowledge of which countries, or towns or cities, a river passes through.
So, even if a consumer doesn’t know which countries the Danube or Moselle rivers flow through, they would still like to take that cruise as much as they would on a river they are more familiar with.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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