APT & Travelmarvel launches 2025 Europe River Cruise programme

Thursday, Mar 07, 2024 0

Three new cruises, created exclusively for the UK & Ireland, increase and protect capacity, so agents can capitalise on growing demand for Travelmarvel’s flexible holidays
Launch includes a value-added Early Booking Offer, with free Business Class flight upgrades, free onboard drinks packages, and low booking deposits*
Agents will receive £100 for every 2025 Europe booking made before 17 March 2024^

APT & Travelmarvel has launched its 2025 Europe River Cruise programme, unveiling a series of new Travelmarvel itineraries that are exclusive to the UK & Ireland. Creating bespoke products in this way for the first time demonstrates the company’s commitment to this market, and recognition of the sales opportunity the UK & Ireland represents for the company’s flexible, four-star brand.

Helping agents to maximise early 2025 sales, the launch is supported by a generous Early Booking Offer, including free Business Class flights, drinks packages, and a low booking deposit of £99 on Travelmarvel bookings made before 30 April 2024*. Agents will also earn £100 of Love2Shop vouchers for every APT and Travelmarvel 2025 Europe booking they make before 17 March 2024, as part of a special incentive^.

TRAVELMARVEL’S UK & IRELAND-EXCLUSIVE CRUISES

Following the launch and ongoing success of its five-star rated^^ Contemporary River Ships in Europe, the UK has become one of Travelmarvel’s most commercially important markets. As awareness of the brand’s outstanding value, flexibility and quality grew, so too did demand. Strong bookings from domestic customers competed against those from APT’s international markets. Global interest outpaced availability and many sailings sold out quickly.

With interest in Travelmarvel showing no sign of waning, the operator has adapted its product so that the UK & Ireland can achieve its full sales potential in 2025. Region-exclusive cruises have been designed to ensure agent partners have access to maximum availability and can convert as many leads as possible. By ring fencing capacity from international markets, agents will have greater opportunity to secure clients’ first choices of dates, destinations and cabin types.

Travelmarvel has also increased the capacity by extending the 2025 sailing season from March right through to the end of December – its longest ever. More sailings, particularly in the ever-more popular shoulder seasons, provide guests with more options to choose from, and agents with more cabins to sell.

NEW TRAVELMARVEL ITINERARIES

The eight-day Highlights of the Danube (from £1,895 per person, based on 22 April departure) transports guests between Munich and Budapest. The immersive itinerary includes sightseeing in all major destinations along this stunning river, plus a traditional Bavarian night, where guests can enjoy local beers, folk music and dancing.

The eight-day Christmas on the Danube (from £2,095 per person), sails from Budapest to Munich on 22 December 2025. Christmas Eve is spent in beautiful Vienna, and Christmas Day exploring the town of Durnstein – a fairytale festive cruise.

The eight-day New Year’s Eve on the Danube (from £2,095 per person), sails from Munich to Budapest on 29 December 2025. Guests will ring in the New Year in Regensburg, at a traditional Bavarian evening of beer, food, music and dancing.

Travelmarvel’s 15-day Best of Balkans cruise will sail April to September for the first time in 2025, an extended season that adds more capacity to be sold on this popular Lower Danube River cruise.

The brand-new MS Estrela, launching later this year on the Douro, will operate its first full season in 2025, sailing though Northern Portugal between April and October on the eight-day Douro Discovery itinerary.

TRAVELMARVEL EARLY BOOKING OFFER – DISCOVER THE NEW IN 2025

To help agents drive early bookings of Travelmarvel’s 2025 European cruises, the operator has launched an Early Booking Offer, Discover the New in 2025. On all new and applicable bookings made before 30 April 2024, guests will receive free Business Class flight upgrades, free onboard drinks packages, savings of up to £1,000 per person, and low booking deposits of £99*.

£100 AGENT BOOKING INCENTIVE

For a two-week period, the operator will also be rewarding agents with £100 of Love2Shop vouchers for every APT or Travelmarvel 2025 European booking that they make before 17 March 2024. Love2shop vouchers can be spent with most major retailers and a range of attractions and restaurants – including Foot Locker, River Island, The London Bridge Experience, and Pizza Express – allowing agents to spend their rewards on the things that matter most to them. To claim, agents can register their bookings on the APT Agent Club (www.APTAgentClub.co.uk). Terms and conditions apply^.

Brad Bennetts, APT & Travelmarvel’s Head of Sales & Business Development, said: “Travelmarvel, with its flexible travel style, contemporary-designed fleet, and APT gold standard of service delivery, continues to draw travellers from the UK & Ireland with levels of demand that exceed the allocation given to our market. We know that our partners are eager to sell more, so we are creating new cruises, exclusive to this market, maximising the volume of inventory available and helping agents to close more sales than ever for the 2025 season.”

APT & Travelmarvel has prepared a toolkit that will help its agent partners to build momentum and drive forward sales. The suite of assets includes a 103-page brochure, which agents can access digitally (here) or request in print via the APT Agent Club.