FAIRFIELD, CT — Riviera River Cruises is doubling down on its commitment to travel agents in 2020 by offering exclusive booking rights, additional support and upcoming fam trips.

As of Jan. 1, 2020, in North America, the company is now accepting bookings for its European river cruises only from travel agents. Consumers who contact Riviera directly will be referred to their agent to book their river cruise; those who don’t already have an agent will be referred to the nearest Riviera-preferred advisor.

Also as of Jan. 1, Riviera will be assisting advisors with flight arrangements and pre- and post-cruise hotel stays throughout Europe for clients who wish to extend their trip. The company has negotiated industry-leading airfares between the U.S. and Europe, and agents will be able to arrange for flights, hotels and a river cruiser cruise, as well as purchase travel insurance, all in the same booking process.

Additionally, Riviera is planning several fam trips in spring 2020. Invitations will be offered by email to agents who have completed Riviera’s online training course.

On what travel agents mean to the company, Marilyn Conroy, Riviera River Cruises’ Executive Vice President Sales and Marketing North America said: “Riviera River Cruises has always been supportive of the travel agency community and we’re excited to take that support even further in 2020. As we begin taking bookings solely from travel advisors, we look forward to turning business back over to them when consumers come to us directly. We want Riviera to be the river cruise line advisors think of first, and we believe this makes us the only line that can honestly say it is 100% supportive of the travel agency distribution system. This is a relationship we all can benefit from.”

To better serve the agent community in Canada and the western U.S., Riviera also expanded the hours of operation for its reservation line. The line is now open 9 a.m. ET/6 a.m. PT, to 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. The Reservation team is led by Chris Barker and also includes Merle Twigg, Ryan McVinnie, Suzanne Williams and Adam Spark.

Travel agents can order updated catalogues and sales guides for 2020 at https://www.rivierarivercruises.com/brochures.