Unlock Limitless Adventures with  AmaWaterways’ River Cruises!

 

Contributed By: AmaWaterways

 

One of the easiest and most lucrative ways to sell award-winning AmaWaterways river cruises is through group reservations. The task of creating your own group sailing may feel daunting, but with the resources and assistance that the river cruise line provides, you are taken care of at every step of the process. With so many possibilities available to you, here are a few examples of what your group sailing can look like.

 

 

Picturesque and Palate-Pleasing: Flavors of Burgundy

The Saône River flows through Burgundy, France, gently guiding travelers through the elegant vineyards and historic sites of this famous wine region. If you would like to create a group sailing centered around immersive experiences with exquisite wine, AmaWaterways’ 7-night Flavors of Burgundy itinerary would be a wonderful river cruise to explore! With four wine tastings already included in beautiful destinations such as Seurre, Tournus, Mâcon, and Lyon, your clients can enjoy a diverse array of the region’s crisp flavors without any additional planning on your part.

 

 

Next, decide which departure date is right for your group. Do you wish to sail in the summer, when the vineyards are a vibrant green, or maybe autumn, when the wine harvest season is on its way? Another factor to consider would be bringing your own Wine Host on board with your group. If you have an experienced sommelier or winery owner in mind, you could partner with them for this group sailing and customize a Celebration of Wine Cruise itinerary with onboard tastings, lectures, and more. Bringing a Wine Host on board can enhance the experience for your group and even attract loyal members of their wine club to your reservation. In exchange, you could offer to cover their river cruise fare, which would be at no cost to you with a Tour Conductor Credit (TC) earned from booking five full staterooms of ten guests.

 

 

Once you decide whether to bring a Wine Host on board with your Flavors of Burgundy group, you can now move forward with marketing this experience to potential clients. Through your dedicated Group Coordinator, you can request customized flyers showcasing the details of your sailing along with your travel agency’s logo and your contact information. If you have an interested group of clients, you can also create a Cruise Night event to generate further excitement. Reach out to your regional AmaWaterways Business Development Manager (BDM) and they will be happy to assist you in planning this special event.

 

Heart and Heritage: Melodies of the Danube

If you are looking to create a group sailing along Europe’s legendary Danube River, you know your clients will experience the best this region has to offer with AmaWaterways. The river cruise line has a deeply entrenched connection to this legendary river. Co-Founder and President Rudi Schreiner grew up in Vienna, Austria, alongside the Danube River. When curating AmaWaterways’ Danube River itineraries, he works his special touch and local expertise into the line’s journeys along this historic waterway. A group embarking on an itinerary such as the line’s 7-night Melodies of the Danube will be immersed in fascinating cultures, enriching history, and alluring experiences that captivate their senses. With excursions such as wine and apricot tasting in Dürnstein, unique visit to Greinburg castle in Grein, and AmaWaterways’ exclusive year-round Oktoberfest Celebration in Vilshofen, food lovers, active travelers, and history buffs alike will enjoy their time on this comprehensive itinerary. 

 

 

When you begin raising awareness for this group river journey, you can find a plethora of helpful resources at your disposal on your AmaWaterways Travel Advisor Portal. After logging in, you can access useful materials such as their Danube Marketing Toolkit, which lays out helpful itinerary information, insider sales tips, and examples of social media posts that can inspire your own communications and online presence. Plus, you can also find blogs and recipes to share with your followers to develop their interest and give them a taste of what they can experience with you on your group sailing. 

 

Marvel at Multiple Rivers: Europe’s Rivers and Castles

One of the best-kept secrets in river cruising are the charming tributaries of the Rhine River – the Main and Moselle. You and your clients can explore all three of these breathtaking waterways on AmaWaterways’ 7-night Europe’s Rivers and Castles itinerary, along with the Main-Danube Canal, the manmade waterway that inspired the luxury river cruise industry to reach the heights it has today. Gems of history hide around every riverbend, waiting to be unearthed by curious travelers that follow the course of the rivers’ currents and the pull of the past. From the magnificent Residenz Palace in Würzburg, Germany, to the exquisite Reichsburg Castle in Cochem, your clients will be captivated by the enchanting excursions they will find on this itinerary.

 

 

With so much to explore along this storied sailing, discerning clients with a passion for history and cultural immersion may wish to extend their experience even further – and you can grant them this by adding customizable excursions to your group sailings with 20 or more guests. Commissionable at 10% of the optional excursion’s price, these excursions can personalize your group’s experience even further while also generating even more income for you! On your Europe’s Rivers & Castles group sailing, you could add excursions such as a tour of the wine museum in Senheim, home to one of the world’s largest collections of vintners’, coopers’ and winemakers tools, or “Blue Jeans and Beer,” where your group can visit the birthplace of Levi Strauss and enjoy a local beer afterward.

 

Energetic Excursions and Experiences: Rhine Castles & Swiss Alps

Many of your clients realize that to travel the world is to expand their horizons, taking in a wide range of the world’s most beautiful sights. For those clients looking to be inspired by the sights and immersed in active experiences at the hearts of the destinations they visit, AmaWaterways’ 7-night Rhine Castles & Swiss Alps itinerary will be a delight from beginning to end. With unique opportunities to bike through three countries – France, Germany, and Switzerland – in one guided tour from Basel, walk along the Philosopher’s Path in Heidelberg that inspired great thinkers, and hike through the vibrant vineyards of Rüdesheim, this river cruise itinerary would be wonderful for a group of active travelers. 

 

For resources on marketing AmaWaterways’ river cruise journeys to active travelers, you can once again turn to the Marketing Content Toolkits on your Travel Advisor Portal. The river cruise line does not just provide specialized toolkits based on destination – they also supply toolkits with a focus on specific types of clients and experiences such as active travelers, families, food and wine experiences, and more! 

 

 

Another element you can use to market this group sailing is by pushing its optional land package with the river cruise journey. The sparkling azure waters and breathtaking sites draw many to visit Lake Como, Italy. A perfect addition to a picturesque river journey, the land package will enhance your clients’ experience and earn you 12% commission as well!

 

From Ideas to Actions

These are just four out of countless ideas that can take shape when you begin to plan your group sailing with AmaWaterways. With more than 40 river cruise itineraries, customizable marketing materials, insider sales tips, and dedicated AmaWaterways employees available to you, you will have ample assistance as you embark on your journey into group sailings. 

 

For full details on AmaWaterways’ group policies, offers, and more, visit your Travel Advisor Portal at www.AmaWaterways.com/agent-home.