07 Aug 2019
The escorted holiday specialist, Titan Travel (0808 239 1428; titantravel.co.uk), disproves prevailing river cruise misconceptions by taking a group of anti-river cruisers on a Titan holiday along the Rhine in its latest campaign.
- River cruise market remains unsaturated with 28% of respondents never been on a river cruise
- European rivers remain most desired; Danube, Rhine and Douro top three rivers to cruise
- Loire river least travelled but most desired river to cruise following the top three
Earlier this year Titan conducted some customer research to gain a greater understanding into how river cruising is perceived by its customers. The study delivered a lot of constructive findings, including 66% of respondents stating food as a vital factor when deciding between different cruising tours. The data also found that Europe remains the top spot for river cruising amongst UK holidaymakers with the Danube, Rhine and Douro being the most desired and travelled waterways. The Loire came out as the fourth most desired river to cruise whilst also being the least travelled by its customers. Across 2018/19, the Loire was one of Titan's most requested rivers with interest up 30% YoY. As a direct result of these findings, Titan now offers a 2020 river cruise tour along the Loire Valley.
Titan Travel (08082 391 428, www.titantravel.co.uk) offers an 8-day 'Renaissance in the Loire Valley' cruise and tour holiday from £2,399 per person. The tour includes two nights' accommodation in a hotel, five nights on board the MS Loire Princesse, 20 meals and three excursions. The price also includes Titan's VIP door-to-door travel service, services of a Titan tour manager and return international flights from London Gatwick with British Airways. Based on departures 01 April 2020. Call to book. https://www.titantravel.co.uk/destinations/europe/france/renaissance-in-the-loire-valley
Titan's survey also found that the river cruise market remains unsaturated with 28% of respondents confirming they have never been on a river cruise and don't intend to book one. As well as highlighting an untapped market, this may show that a large proportion of UK travellers hold some preconceptions around river cruising which are influencing their holiday choices.
To encourage travellers to consider river cruising, Titan selected a group of anti-river cruise travellers from the survey - including couples, solo travellers and ocean cruise devotees - and offered them a five-night voyage along the Rhine onboard Titan's MS Bellejour.
The campaign was designed to provide first-hand customer insight and to see whether their opinion on river cruising would change following the trip. With a camera crew on board, Titan was able to capture each traveller's honest assessment of their first river cruise experience.
Andy Squirrell, Managing Director, Titan Travel, comments “We're thrilled with the results of our recent myth busting campaign. It was an absolute joy to see a group of travellers who had never considered river cruising before embrace the whole experience and challenge their own perceptions of what river cruising can offer.
“As well as debunking a number of river cruise misconceptions, we wanted to highlight that holidaymakers shouldn't let any preconceived ideas stop them from trying a different holiday experience. Travelling outside your comfort zone, visiting a destination you wouldn't normally consider, or opening yourself to new experiences is one of the greatest thrills travel can provide. With Titan, guests can embrace these new travel adventures with the assurance and comfort that they're in trusted hands, travelling as part of a group led by destination experts.”
The resulting videos successfully show Titan's myth busting participants all enjoying their river cruise experience, with many not expecting the level of service, quality, and overall enjoyment from the trip. A couple of guests disembarked the ship completely converted to river cruising with others concluding that they were pleasantly surprised with the trip and would happily consider booking one in the future.
Each week throughout August, Titan will be unveiling two new videos from the campaign that expose different elements of the cruise, showcasing exactly what each participant thought. Follow Titan on Facebook @TitanTravelUK or visit Titan's YouTube channel to see all the videos from Titan's myth busting trip as they're released. http://bit.ly/TitanMythBustingVid
For more information on river cruising with Titan, please visit https://www.titantravel.co.uk/holiday-types/river-cruising or call Titan's expert travel adviser on 0808 2391 428.
Read on to see how the campaign debunked some of the most prevailing misconceptions around river cruising.
Myth #1: Poor ship facilities
Ocean cruise ships offer a much larger range of onboard facilities than river cruise ships which has led some people to believe that river cruises are boring. With a different port of call each day, river guests are encouraged not to stay on board at docking but to explore the surroundings and local culture on the complimentary excursions provided. The smaller river ships also offer an intimate and calming cruising experience that allows guests to truly relax on board.
Many river cruise ships also host a range of onboard facilities for guests to take advantage of during sailing. When guests aren't enjoying the peaceful and tranquil element of watching the ever changing landscape on the top deck they can enjoy Titan's various onboard facilities including a panoramic lounge bar, small gym, sauna, whirlpool, boutique and library.
Find out what Titan's myth busting river cruise travellers thought of their overall experience in the video below.
Myth #2: Lack of space
Ship and cabin size is an important consideration for anyone thinking about booking a cruise. Whilst ocean ships are much larger vessels they lack the intimacy and lower passenger numbers that river cruises boast. This is an important consideration for guests who don't wish to walk much around the ship or for those who want a less crowded environment.
Guests that took part in the recent myth busting experiment were pleasantly surprised with the cabin space on board. What's more, with no inside cabins available, guests embarking on a river cruise are always guaranteed an outside window cabin.
Watch the following video to hear exactly what our myth busting guests had to say about Titan's ship and its cabins.
https://youtu.be/ST4vUMgTDA0 [video available from 09 Aug 2019]
Myth #3: Mediocre food quality
Titan's research concluded food as one of the most important considerations for consumers with 66% stating food quality as vital when deciding between different tours. Cruises are well known for its incredible food with river cruises being no exception, placing a huge emphasis on its food experience.
All guests on a Titan river cruise receive complimentary meals on board with unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks at lunch and dinner. A complementary six-course captain's gala dinner is also included, providing a fine dining experience on water.
“The evening meals are exceptional.” Mr and Mrs Jones, Titan river myth busting participants.
“We know with Titan that it's going to be good, but I think it is even better than we expected.” Mr and Mrs Roberts, Titan river myth busting participants.
Watch the following video to see how the myth busting participants viewed the food quality on a Titan river cruise.
https://youtu.be/of6MAQlMGpA [video available from 09 Aug 2019]
Myth #4: Not suitable for solo travellers
Thanks to its smaller and more intimate ships, river cruising is a fantastic holiday for solo travellers. The friendly atmosphere and flexible open-seating dining arrangements allow solo guests to effortlessly socialise with fellow shipmates.
Another belief is that river cruising as a solo traveller is always expensive. Whilst different cruise lines have different single supplement policies, Titan is proud to offer low or no single supplements on select river cruise departures. Call Titan's expert travel advisors on 0808 2391 428 to find out which departures have the lowest solo supplements.
Titan understands the growing popularity of solo holidays and invited two single travellers to be part of the experiment. Watch the videos below to hear more about Mr Bryon's and Ms Maddox's first solo river cruising experience.
https://youtu.be/JhrMTHhMfKQ [video available from 23 Aug 2019]
https://youtu.be/XLiSxp9hQnE [video available from 30 Aug 2019]
Titan Travel (08082 391 428, www.titantravel.co.uk) offers an 11-day 'Rhine Explorer' river cruise from £2,199 per person. The tour includes 10 nights' accommodation onboard the MS Serenade 1, 29 meals, unlimited wine, beer and soft drinks during lunch & dinner, as well as five excursions. The price also includes Titan's VIP door-to-door travel service, services of a Titan tour manager and return international flights from London Heathrow with British Airways. Based on departures 29 April 2020. Call to book. https://www.titantravel.co.uk/destinations/europe/rhine-explorer
-ENDS-
Editors notes
Prices correct at time of publication
Images available on request.
Press Enquiries:
Sarah Locke, PR & Events Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 1293 450842
Email: Sarah.Locke@titantravel.co.uk
About Titan Travel
Titan has 40 years of experience creating unforgettable travel moments, with more than 400 itineraries sprawling over 80 countries and seven continents.
As one of the UK's leading escorted holiday specialists, Titan has been decorated with a number of industry awards, including the British Travel Awards, Telegraph Travel Awards, Travel Weekly's Globe Travel Awards and, as of February 2019, has been endorsed by the Good Housekeeping Institute and its readers.
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