The International Cruise Council Australasia has launched a new river cruise training module aimed at helping travel agents better understand the growing sector.
Latest ICCA figures show that river cruise passenger numbers from Australia rose 12 percent in 2010, with the sector representing six percent of the cruise passenger market.
ICCA general manager Brett Jardine said the Europe River Cruising training module, which includes Russia and Egypt, presented a structured syllabus that looked at different elements of river cruising in order to give agents a thorough understanding of the concept.
“The module examines the history, development and growth of river cruising as well as the unique attributes of the vessels, potential river cruise passengers and the varied itineraries and exciting sightseeing on offer,†he said.
“It also includes an in-depth look at major river cruise destinations from Europe to Egypt, focusing on embarkation and disembarkation ports as well as unique and popular ports along the way.’’
The river cruising training course is an elective module worth 15 points as part of the ICCA’s cruise industry accreditation programme.
The ICCA’s river cruise members include APT, Avalon Waterways, Scenic Tours, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises and Viking River Cruises.
