Travel Advisors Find River Cruises a Bigger Opportunity Even With Hurdles

While many travel advisors are finding it to be a challenge to get their clients back on ships, they are using the benefits of river cruises to overcome travellers’ concerns after a year of bad press about the safety of ocean cruises. Advisors are highlighting that river cruise ships have fewer people on board and more opportunity to deboard. “Our bookings are 400 percent of this time last year and within 20 percent of pre-pandemic booking levels,” said Annette Stellhorn, an advisor at Accent on Travel, a Delaware-based travel agency specializing in cruises. Laurel Brunvoll has also seen a surge as the founder and owner of Maryland-based travel agency Unforgettable Trips. “[We’ve] seen a 100 percent increase in requests and actual bookings for 2021 river cruises,” she said. Furthermore, 70 per cent of her company’s future client reservations are for river cruises.

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