ONBOARD AVALON PASSION — “Experiencing the product is the best way to sell it,” said Denise Harper, Senior Director of Sales for the Globus family of brands.

That was just one of many sales tips for 110 travel advisors during the second annual European River Cruise Summit, hosted by ACTA and Avalon Waterways, aboard the Avalon Passion.

The summit took place during Avalon’s Danube Dreams eight-day itinerary from Budapest to Vilshofen, Germany, with reps on board from ACTA, Avalon, Manulife and Air Canada.

Avalon’s Danube Dreams itinerary sailed from Budapest to Vilshofen, Germany

Along with workshops and networking opportunities, advisors had a chance to experience Avalon’s different cruise styles, from Classic to Active to Discovery. “Don’t press it, caress it,” said Chef Karl Wrenkh of the Wrenkh Vienna Culinary School to giggles and winks, as travel advisors tossed thin slices of organic veal in breadcrumbs while they learned to make authentic schnitzel on an Avalon Waterways’ Discovery tour.

Chef Karl Wrenkh of the Wrenkh Vienna Culinary School

When it comes to river cruising, ACTA provides specialized training sessions, webinars and resources that cover the latest trends, regulations and supplier updates. “We also facilitate partnerships with river cruise lines to ensure our members have access to the latest offerings and insights, helping them effectively market these experiences to their clients,” said Wendy Paradis, ACTA President.

“In the coming year, our primary goals include enhancing member engagement through more interactive training programs and webinars,” she said.

In 2025, for example, ACTA will be offering a series of new initiatives, including an expanded education and networking event schedule with more in-person opportunities.

“We are continuing to expand our experiential learning portfolio,” said Paradis. “We’ll also be launching a mentorship program designed to connect seasoned advisors with newcomers to the industry.”

“WE’RE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT WORLD”

While currently the summit is hosted by Avalon Waterways, Pam Hoffee, President of Avalon Waterways, is open to other river cruise lines participating in future summits (which is how it works in the U.S.).

While Hoffee said Avalon sales in Canada outpace “everyone else in the world in terms of volume,” sometimes advisors who sell ocean cruising find the transition to river cruising difficult. And that’s one of the reasons behind the summit.

“If you sold ocean cruises before, we’re a completely different world,” said Carolina Suarez, BDM, Eastern Ontario and Ottawa Region, with Globus.

Avalon offers 77 cruises on 11 rivers in 24 countries, with an average of about 140 passengers. “We don’t want to keep you on our vessels, we want to make sure you’re off the vessel – we are right at port, start sooner, stay longer, not every sailing will depart the following day,” said Suarez.

According to feedback from advisors, “those of you who sell river, it really can be life changing,” said Hoffee. “If you sell a lot of FIT, it’s a lot of work.” With a river cruise, if there’s an issue, the river cruise line generally takes care of it. “That’s all cruise lines, not just Avalon,” she said. “The reality is it can be a really nice business. There is not a bad river cruise line – we’re all different, we all have different experiences, each has its own personality.”

There’s also a trend toward combining river cruises with land tours. For example, Switzerland by Rail was designed to combine with Avalon’s river cruises. “Helping tours line up with cruises is something we need [to do],” said Hoffee. That’s another area Avalon has targeted for improvement.

Avalon recently re-launched its travel advisor portal, with an aim of making it easier to use, and they’re working on “getting money to advisors faster,” said Hoffee. “With Globus you get commission on final payment, not after travel.”

Decked out in red and black for a fun themed night onboard Avalon Passion

They also have “big plans” for their app, which is now 10 years old. “We definitely need to improve the app,” said Hoffee. That includes better pre-trip communications and easier booking of excursions.

One issue that some advisors have is simply the higher cost of a river cruise, compared to ocean cruising. “The all-inclusive part is what you can sell on,” said Hoffee. Shore excursions are included, as is beer and wine with lunch and dinner. Avalon introduced Happy Hour last year and features open dining.

Right now, however, Avalon doesn’t have enough supply to meet the demand. “We do need to build more ships, we don’t have enough capacity,” said Hoffee. The current plan is to add one or two new ships over five years, starting in 2027.

Avalon’s newest destination (with a specially designed ship) is the Douro River in Portugal. The itinerary is already 98% sold this year – and completely sold out next year. “Where we don’t have that problem is in Bordeaux – that’s our next destination that we’ve added,” said Hoffee. One of the issues with Bordeaux is that travellers want more than just wine. “A couple days of wine tasting is enough, so we created an itinerary that’s more than wine.”

So why should travel advisors consider joining ACTA (if they haven’t already)?

Membership in ACTA “provides access to exclusive training, networking opportunities and industry insights that can significantly enhance their business operations and client service,” said Paradis. “Being part of ACTA also means being part of a community that is committed to advancing the travel advisor profession.”

ACTA offers destination and product training, including the TAE, CTC and CTM designations, and in 2025 the association is aiming to attract new travel advisors to the industry. The Travel Agent Essentials (TAE) course is designed to help the industry overcome labour shortages, while Certified Travel Counsellor (CTC) and Certified Travel Manager (CTM) designations can help to validate a travel advisor’s industry experience (with a minimum of 1,800 hours of industry experience or $600,000 in sales), according to ACTA.

“ACTA is such a great advocate for the travel advisor community,” said Hoffee. “And travel advisors are our lifeblood.”