Riviera Travel River Cruises has marked its third year in the Australian market by appointing an exclusive GSA in the local market – small ship cruise specialists, Cruise Traveller.

A new, direct Riviera Travel hotline has also been launched by Cruise Traveller in Australia – 1300 561 001 – to make it easier and quicker for Australian agents to book some of the 300-plus river cruises the company offers across Europe every year.\ruise Traveller has also launched an Australian Facebook page – www.facebook.com/RivieraTravelAu to boost brand engagement

UK-based Riviera Travel first introduced the brand to Australia in 2017 and was, until now, represented here by wholesalers Cruise Traveller and Cruiseco, with each working separately.

The appointment of Gold Coast-based Cruise Traveller as General Sales Agent (GSA) for Riviera Travel in Australia means all payments, questions, promotions and marketing will be centralised and branched out to the broader travel industry. Agents can still book Riviera Travel product via their preferred wholesaler which will then process the booking with Cruise Traveller.

Riviera Travel River Cruises National Sales Manager for the UK and Australia, Thomas Morgan, said Riviera Travel and Cruise Traveller would now work together to boost marketing budgets and the promotion of the brand in Australia, benefitting local agents, according to a statement.

“Australia is a key growth market for Riviera Travel and to ensure that we can support our agent partners in Australia, we are delighted to announce Australia’s leading small cruise ship company, Cruise Traveller, as an exclusive GSA in this market,” Morgan said. “Cruise Traveller will be handling all enquires and their team of experienced Key Partner Managers will be representing the Riviera Travel brand, supported by the Cruise Traveller  reservations team and a dedicated Riviera Travel phone number for agents – 1300 561 001. We are excited for the future of Riviera Travel in Australia and look forward to working with Cruise Traveller to see more Australians experience our unique and affordable product offering.”

Cruise Traveller Managing Director, Craig Bowen, said: “Riviera Travel River Cruises offers a real point of difference in the Australian market so we’re delighted to have the opportunity to exclusively represent their product here and grow their market share, focusing on great value and its appeal to solo travellers. Cruise Traveller saw a need for a consolidated central point for reservations and information in Australia so the creation of that now will make it easier for Australian agents to sell Riviera Travel’s range of five-star river cruises across Europe.”

Riviera Travel will carry 45,000 passengers on 13 ships over 300 sailings on 15 different cruise itineraries in 2020.