Riviera Travel has announced the return of its annual Travel Trade Awards – known as the ‘Riv Awards’ – building on the success of last year’s inaugural event and expanding to include agents and partners across Ireland for the first time.
*All details correct at time of publish (12 January 2026)
The awards reaffirm Riviera’s commitment to recognising and rewarding the achievements of its valued travel trade partners across the UK and Ireland.
The 2026 ceremony will once again shine a spotlight on top-performing travel agents, agencies and partners who have delivered strong year-on-year growth and demonstrated outstanding partnership across Riviera Travel’s river cruise and touring portfolio.
The Riv Awards for 2026 will take place on Thursday, 26 March at the beautiful Hotel Café Royal in London, welcoming shortlisted partners from across the travel industry.
Awards will be presented across a broad range of categories, including regional store awards, top-performing national agency awards, top-performing individual agent awards, as well as Riviera ambassador and marketing awards.
With the Riv Awards now expanding into the Irish market, five new award categories have been introduced this year, including two Irish-only dedicated awards:
- Riviera Explorer Champion (UK)
- Top Performing Agent (UK & Ireland)
- River Champion Award – Split into River Cruise and Touring (UK & Ireland)
- Top Regional Store (Ireland)
- Best Up & Coming (Ireland)
The awards will recognise excellence in sales performance, year-on-year growth, and wider brand engagement.
Created as a dedicated trade initiative to thank its agent partners for their continued support and contribution to the brand’s growth, the Riv Awards reflect Riviera’s ongoing investment in the trade and its long-standing commitment to building strong and collaborative partnerships.
Vicky Billing, Trade and Partnerships Director UK & Ireland at Riviera Travel, says: “Launching the Riv Awards for a second year is a fantastic moment for us. Having proudly won 14 awards across the UK & Ireland trade in 2025, we know just how instrumental our travel trade partners are to Riviera’s continued growth.
“Their commitment to delivering exceptional results deserves real recognition. We’re overjoyed and proud to be able to celebrate the outstanding achievements of those individuals and agencies who have helped Riviera deliver another fantastic year!”
Amanda Docherty, Head of UK Trade Sales at Riviera Travel, added: ”Last year’s Riv Awards were a huge success, and we can’t wait to do it all again this year.
“It was a fantastic way to celebrate the achievements of our trade partners, and after another strong year in trade, we’re excited to come together once more to recognise the commitment and collaboration our partners bring to Riviera.”
Riviera Travel looks forward to welcoming its trade partners to the Riv Awards in 2026 and celebrating the dedication and results that continue to drive mutual success across the travel industry.
Guest invitations will be sent out shortly.
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