Riviera Travel invited members of the trade and media to Budapest for a three-day gala event aboard its new river ship, Riviera Radiance, in late November.
Guests gathered for the official naming ceremony of the ship, which debuted on the Danube River in June this year, and were updated on Riviera’s expansion plans for its fleet of riverboats and long-haul touring programme.
They also enjoyed a short dinner cruise along the Danube – a popular way to see the city lights of Hungary’s capital – and had time to explore the city’s famed Christmas markets.
Riviera, whose target market is those who aged 60-plus who are “mature, kids-free, reasonably well off and curious travellers,” says its bookings are split almost evenly between cruise and escorted land tours.
The company will carry around 100,000 passengers in 2025 and the goal is 150,000 by 2030, said Phil Hullah, Riviera Travel’s departing CEO, who was among Riviera Travel’s senior leadership team onboard Radiance in Budapest.
“We are the UK leader in river cruising but not escorted touring – but we want to be,” he added.
Revenue is running 20% ahead, year on year, for 2025/26 with Riviera seeing double-digit growth in its long-haul touring product. Recently added destinations include Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan and Morocco – and agents are playing a big part of the company’s success.
In 2022, 18% of all revenues came through the trade but this year that figure will reach 30%, a 200% increase in three years.
Robin Shaw, Chief Commercial officer, said: “We are obsessive about the trade…we understand the importance of long-term sustainable partnerships with them.
“We want to be known as the company that is easy to do business with – we listen, learn and put into practice…we want the trade to be part of our global growth.”
Following on from the launch in April of Riviera Rose, which sails the Douro River, and Riviera Radiance, which had its maiden voyage in June 2025, future plans include next year’s introduction of Riviera Resplendence, which is scheduled to start sailing in July.
One of its first cruises will be a 10-day itinerary on the Rhine from Cologne to Basel, departing on July 4.
And taking bookings for 2027 is Riviera Alba, a five-star boutique river cruise ship built for the Mekong River. It is designed to navigate the shallower channels of the waterways between Saigon and Siem and will carry just 50 guests.
Riviera also announced in Budapest that contracts have been signed for two new Radiance-class ships, coming in 2027 and 2027/28, which will grow its fleet size to 16.
Solo travel is another big focus for the company, said Hullah. It launched solo cruises in 2017, starting with six itineraries, which had grown to 30 this year, and the goal to reach 50 in 2027.
And from mid-2027, George Eliot will be relaunched as the world’s first river cruise ship exclusively for solo travellers. It will start sailing on Dutch waterways and then the Rhine, Danube and Moselle rivers.
“Riviera is all about providing exceptional experiences in some of the world’s most exciting destinations for the best possible values,” said Hullah.
“We have an obsession with the guest experience and looking after guests; we want to over-deliver on expectations. Every company says that, but we really mean it.”
In November, the company launched RIVA AI, a digital assistant tool for travel agents that is embedded in its existing Riviera Explorer learning platform. It attracted 650 users and 5,000 questions in its first two weeks, with 4,000 users are now signed up to the training platform.
New tools and a Riviera Rewards programme will be launched next year, said Hullah.
The four-deck Radiance – which carries 178 guests – was christened by Sarah Roberts, CEO of Practical Action, Riviera Travel’s official charity for tackling poverty and climate change.
The ship’s features include large windows, a striking lobby, a split-level layout connecting the lounge, bar and main restaurant, and two other restaurants including Mosaic, which occupies an intimate space on the lower deck. There’s also a wellness area, a fitness centre and a sun deck with a pool.
Added Hullah: “We could not be prouder of Riviera Radiance. She reflects everything we stand for – innovation, exceptional quality, understated luxury and the kind of experience that keeps our guests travelling with us time and time again. With our most spacious suites to date and the introduction of a third dining venue, Riviera Radiance sets a new standard on Europe’s waterways.”
It will be based on the Danube, sailing the classic seven-night Budapest to Vienna route, but can also do a 14-night cruise to the Black Sea and back. This month (December) sees it sailing a Christmas markets cruise taking in Budapest, Vienna and Bratislava.
Riviera, which is celebrating its 42nd year of business, started out in 1981 in Burton-on Trent by offering a bus tour to Paris for a long weekend.
It has since taken 1.75 million passengers on its cruise, European and long-haul touring programmes
