River Cruising Is 'Having a Moment'—And Travel Advisors Are Cashing In

19.03.2024 - 18:59 / travelpulse.com / River Cruises / Zane Kerby / Emerald Cruises / Avalon Waterways / Sarah Kuta

River cruising is becoming an increasingly popular way to travel—and travel advisors are capitalizing on the industry’s success.

“The whole genre of river cruising is having a moment,” said Zane Kerby, president and chief executive officer of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA). “Americans are awakening to the idea that you can see six or seven different European cities—with all the friction of movement in between taken out—by these elegant river cruise companies.”

But don’t just take his word for it: Ask any of the U.S.-based travel advisors who attended ASTA’s River Cruise Expo in Amsterdam last week. 

The sold-out event, which took place March 13-17, has grown exponentially since it launched three years ago as more and more travel advisors seek out education and connections to help boost their river cruise sales. The expo grew from 500 attendees in 2022 to more than 1,300 this year. And next year's conference—which sold out within days of registration going live—will be even larger, with 1,500 attendees.

It's clear that travel advisors see big potential in the river cruise sector.

“River cruises are confusing enough that people really appreciate my expertise,” said Diane Frisch, owner of Diane Frisch Destinations, who won the inaugural River Cruise Advisor of the Year award at the expo last week. “And attending events like this really helps increase my value because I can talk to people about all the lines. They’re all really different from one another and, yet, very few people understand that.”

Or, ask the river cruise lines themselves. They’re expanding their fleets, launching ships on new rivers and tailoring their offerings to better accommodate the growing number of North Americans who want to explore the world from the comfort of a floating boutique hotel.

“We’ve all heard it: Cruising is back, cruising is back, cruising is back. That’s true, but river cruising is leading the way,” said Alex Pinelo, senior vice president of sales for AmaWaterways. “Last year was [the company’s] best year ever—and we’ve already surpassed last year.” 

Cruise line executives hosted education sessions at the 2024 ASTA River Cruise Expo in Amsterdam (Photo Credit: American Society of Travel Advisors)

A dozen river cruise vessels representing nine brands docked next to each other in front of Cruise Port Amsterdam for the expo: Amadeus River Cruises, AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, Riverside Luxury Cruises, Riviera River Cruises, Viking, Uniworld River Cruises, Tauck and Emerald Cruises. 

Many travel advisors stayed onboard the ships during the conference, then toured and ate meals on the others to familiarize themselves with the different offerings; some also signed up for pre- or post-expo FAM trips. They also