Tuesday, April 9, 2024

River Cruise Lines Announce New Initiatives, Promos at ASTA River Cruise Expo

asta river cruise expo 2024

Riverside Luxury Cruises is Europe's newest and most luxurious river cruise line offering all-inclusive vacations on the Rhine, Rhône, Danube, Moselle, and Main rivers. The all-suites Riverside Mozart, Riverside Ravel, and newly inaugurated Riverside Debussy offer the most spacious accommodations, highest staff-to-guest ratio, and more onboard amenities than other river lines. Riverside Luxury Cruises is named Forbes' Best European River Cruise For Foodies and Cruise Critic's 2023 Editors' Pick Award Winner for Best Dining in the River Category. The first conference, which was held in Budapest, attracted around 500 travel advisors, seven river cruise companies and seven river vessels for ship inspections.

Great Lakes Chapter: West Michigan Travel Trade Show

Additionally, VTA participants will receive credit for taking elective courses and attending ASTA events, such as the expo. A public relations campaign will also soon launch in the form of a new digital video series featuring VTAs and clients. Now in its third year, the expo has seen tremendous growth since its debut in 2022, when it welcomed 500 attendees in Budapest, Hungary (this year’s event attracted more than 1,300). For instance, the lobbies of the Chaucer and the Joy both feature the same opulent grand staircase atrium, glass-paneled elevator, and dining room design scheme.

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asta river cruise expo 2024

These cruises depart from Amsterdam, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Trier, and Basel, Switzerland. The newly inaugurated Riverside Debussy will begin her second year of service on April 2 with a 7-night voyage during the prime of tulip-blooming season in the Dutch countryside. Guests cruise roundtrip from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and visit Arnhem, Nijmegen, Antwerp, Gent, Middleburg, Veere, Dordrecht, and Rotterdam.

Global Travel Advisor Day 2024

The Debussy will sail on the Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers starting March 23. Photographers are always on hand to memorialize our events so perusing our photo gallery is a great way to get a sense of the excitement surrounding ASTA's annual conventions, Legislative Days and other programs. Travellers can also choose shorter, 3- to 6-night voyages throughout the year that spotlight on the Netherlands, the Moselle River's wine valley or the Upper Rhine Valley.

Riverside Debussy unveils Medieval castles; quaint and charming towns; and dramatic wine valleys along the Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers throughout the spring and summer seasons. Seven-night itineraries alternate departures from Amsterdam and Basel, Switzerland and feature some of the most historic cities, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Rhine Gorge with its highest concentration of picturesque castles, and the wine valleys of the Middle Rhine. Share a social media graphic on Instagram or Facebook from ASTA’s Social Media Toolkit on Flickr with the hashtag #GlobalTravelAdvisorDay2024. Include in the caption three (3) reasons why consumers should use a travel advisor.

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Details on those programs are still in the works, but advisors can likely expect sessions similar to previous years, with presentations on the lines' portfolios; highlights of destinations along some of Europe's most popular rivers; and new itineraries and programs. During this year's two-day conference, which opened the evening of March 13, advisors have the chance to tour all 12 rivers ships in port, as well as eat lunch and dinner each day on a different ship. Additionally, the conference offers educational sessions, a trade show, and a three-hour general session that was packed with panels, partner presentations, and more. Tauck, the tour operator that also has a nine-ship river cruise fleet, and the U.K.-based Riviera River Cruises, joined for the first time this year, and both drew a lot of curiosity from advisors who had never seen their ships before. AMSTERDAM -- There were plenty of river cruise ships docked here at the 2024 ASTA River Cruise Expo, which drew a lot of interest from advisor attendees who were curious to see how these vessels stacked up against the rest of each line's fleet. In late-November, Riverside Mozart cruises 3- and 4-night Christmas Markets itineraries along the Danube, with departures from Vienna, Passau and Budapest.

Missouri/Kansas Chapter: MO/KS Network Meeting with Viking Cruises

Recognizing how important travel advisors are to their success, these companies invest their time and resources to support ASTA’s mission and ensure a healthy and robust travel agency distribution channel. Many members say that the chance to connect socially with peers and the people they do business with is one of the most valuable parts of all ASTA meetings. Riverside Debussy also delivers bustling German Christmas Markets on a variety of 3-night itineraries that bring guests throughout Germany along the Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers. The ship concludes 2025 with a 10-night Christmas and New Year cruise from Basel to Amsterdam. Guests will observe Christmas Eve in Strasbourg and ring in the New Year with two nights in Amsterdam. From late November through the New Year, Riverside Debussy brings guests to the enchanting and festive Christmas Markets of Germany, on three- to six-night itineraries, departing from Vienna, Nuremburg, Amsterdam and Dusseldorf.

Charlotte Chapter: Lunch & Learn with The Palace Company

On all voyages, Riverside Debussy stays late or overnight in some of Europe's most captivating cities, so guests can immerse in authentic cultures and destination nightlife. Throughout, guests enjoy Riverside's all-inclusive, luxury experience and intuitive and personalised service from every staff and crew member. Travellers with more time can also combine consecutive voyages that bring guests on extended explorations of up to 21 nights without repeating stops. For more information about Riverside Debussy and Riverside Luxury Cruises, please visit Riverside-Cruises.com/en. As evidenced by the event’s growth over three short years, river cruising is rising to become a top niche in travel.

ASTA Breaks Records With Third River Cruise Expo - TravelAge West

ASTA Breaks Records With Third River Cruise Expo.

Posted: Mon, 18 Mar 2024 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Riverside Debussy begins her inaugural year with a five-night voyage from Brussels, Belgium, to Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The luxury river ship then cruises a series of seven-night, Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta voyages, departing roundtrip from Amsterdam and visiting cities such as Antwerp and Gent, Belgium; and Middelburg, Veere, Willemstad, Dordrecht, Rotterdam, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Travellers can also choose among three voyages dedicated to the Rhine River, departing on April 14 and July 31, from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, and from Basel to Amsterdam on April 21. Stops on these itineraries include Speyer, Mannheim, Rüdesheim, and Cologne, among other German cities. In addition to rubbing shoulders with cruise line representatives and learning the latest product news and trends in river cruising, ASTA members had the opportunity to attend the March 13 christening ceremony for Riverside Debussy, the newest vessel from Riverside Luxury Cruises. Additionally, free cruises were given out during the course of the conference.

Other than a few minor changes, such as the logo and company name on the exterior, the Debussy has gone unchanged and advisors found the same style and level of luxury introduced by Crystal. Success storiesOne advisor who made the most of last year's show is Kristie Keller, owner of Addicted to Adventures, who joined Friedman on stage with three other river cruise selling advisors. With more than 1,200 attendees and 12 river ships from nine lines in port, the third annual ASTA River Cruise Expo is the largest ever. The ship was likely most advisors' first look at a Riverside ship since the young company, now in its sophomore year of operations, debuted the doublewide Riverside Mozart at last year's conference. Riverside also launched the Riverside Ravel in August, which sails in the south of France on the Rhone and Saone rivers, and now operates three vessels. Riverside Luxury Cruises, for example, came back for its second year at the expo and debuted its latest ship to sail in Europe, the Riverside Debussy, which was christened by godmother and travel influencer Alle Pierce.

You’ll find local chapter events as well as national and international meetings. The highlight of every year is the annual ASTA Global Convention, where the travel agency industry gathers for three days of thought-provoking programming and idea-sharing. Riverside Mozart will cruise a variety of 3- to 7-night itineraries mostly between Passau and Budapest, and bring guests to captivating Bavarian, Austrian, Slovakian, and Hungarian cities and towns. Many of these voyages includes cruising or stopping in the Austria's historic and picturesque Wachau Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The travel agency industry in the United States is a vital part of the travel and transportation infrastructure. While the physical elements of travel include planes, trains, cars, hotels, cruises and tours, it is the travel advisor who is the link, as evidenced by the $115 billion orchestrated in bookings by advisors last year (according to a study by Phocuswright).

Riverside Ravel will cruise a 3-night, Rhône sampler from Lyon to Avignon, with visits to Viviers, Tarascon and Arles, while Riverside Mozart brings guests on an Easter voyage on the Danube River from Passau, Germany, to Budapest, Hungary. Guests on this itinerary visit Ybbs, Melk, and Bratislava, Slovakia, and observe Easter Sunday in Vienna, Austria. "No other line delivers Europe like Riverside Luxury Cruises," said Jen Halboth, CEO of the luxury river line. Though registration for 2025 didn't open up until after the general session closed, already nine river cruise lines are signed up, with plans to bring 15 ships to the show, which will be in Vienna from March 12 to 15.

Scylla also builds ships for other river cruise lines, including Riviera, and so there are certain similarities in the features or designs, even if the companies are different. Riverside Ravel offers 4-, 5- and 7-night itineraries on France's Rhône River between Lyon and Avignon, with visits at Arles, Viviers, Tain L'Hermitage, and Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Tarascon, Port St. Louis and Vienne. Riverside Ravel also ventures up the Saone River on eight summer and autumn cruises that visit the Côte Chalonnaise and Maconnais wine regions of Burgundy. These cruises stop at Macon, with tour options to Chalon and Tournus, as well as destinations on the Rhône River. Riverside Ravel concludes her 2025 year with a 4-night itinerary, departing on November 21 from Lyon to Avignon.

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