Avalon Waterways is capitalising on the growth of the Indonesian outbound cruise market to promote river cruising in Europe.
The company, which operates under the Globus Family of Brands (GFOB), is ramping up efforts to heighten awareness of river cruising by partnering outbound travel companies.
Melania Sugeng, operations manager of Abdi Perwakilan Global, the GSA for GFOB in Indonesia, said: “The popularity of cruise tourism continues to grow in the country, as shown by the rising demand on cruising. Many Indonesian travel companies now have a dedicated cruise division. However, only a few travellers are aware of river cruising.”
Speaking to the media recently, Ray Smith, GSA business development manager of Avalon Waterays, said: “Unlike ocean cruising, travelling along the big rivers in Europe, like Rhine, Danube, Moselle, Rhone, Sein and Seon, provide travellers with different experiences.”
Apart from enjoying onward facilities, travellers also get to soak in the scenery along the river banks and visit places of interest in different destinations, according to Smith.
Melania said: “In the last few years, we focused our efforts in creating awareness and encouraging travel companies to sell our products. Now, we target consumers through social media, and join travel companies in participating at travel fairs as well as talking to corporates.”
Apart from scheduled ships with itineraries ranging from three to 14 nights, Avalon Waterways also promotes chartered services for groups.
Smith said that in Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan are the major markets, while in South-east Asia, the Philippines and Malaysia are the top markets.
“We hope to see Indonesia catching up as we see there is a big potential here,” he said.
