Riviera Travel is reinforcing its commitment to the travel trade by showcasing the scale and variety of its agent familiarisation programme, as preparations continue for an even expanded schedule of agent-exclusive experiences in 2026.
*All details correct at time of publish (06 May 2026)
Following a busy 2025 programme, Riviera is set to deliver 15 FAM trips for the UK and Ireland throughout 2026, welcoming 152 UK & Irish agents onto a wide range of itineraries designed to support confident selling across its growing product portfolio.
The programme reflects the breadth of Riviera Travel’s product offering, spanning short and longer itineraries, festive departures and discovery cruises, plus two dedicated touring FAM’s to Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga and a bespoke long-haul tour to South India taking place this month.
This latest activity builds on strong engagement earlier in the year, with more than 550 travel agents given the opportunity to experience the MS Geoffrey Chaucer in March alone.
By the end of 2026, close to 700 travel agents will have experienced Riviera Travel’s product first-hand, underlining the operator’s long-term commitment to meaningful trade partnerships and product knowledge.
Alongside this, Riviera has recently hosted the first-ever marketing-exclusive FAM trip to Amsterdam, Kinderdijk and the Dutch Bulbfields, giving marketing contacts deeper insight into the operator’s product offering and allowing them to capture first-hand content.
Feedback from the nine marketing professionals who got to experience the trip onboard the beautiful MS Emily Bronte has been overwhelmingly positive:
Emily White, Senior Marketing Executive at Premier Travel:
“I feel so lucky to have been part of Riviera’s first dedicated Marketing FAM trip. It was an amazing opportunity to capture some incredible content for our channels and speak directly with guests to understand what truly sells cruising to them. These insights are so valuable for marketing and allow us to create more engaging content that better supports sales.”
Josh Villegas-Ross, Marketing Executive at TTNG:
“When I was offered the opportunity to join Riviera Travel’s marketing FAM trip, I didn’t hesitate. Not only because of the standout itinerary, but because it’s rare to see a FAM designed specifically for marketing teams. The role marketing plays in supporting and driving sales cannot be understated.
“Returning from Amsterdam, I’ve brought back a wealth of high-quality content to share with our members, enabling them to showcase and sell Riviera’s product with confidence.
“From a detailed itinerary blog to video content aboard the luxurious Emily Brontë, alongside engaging social assets highlighting each stop, the materials captured will deliver lasting value. This was a genuinely worthwhile and forward-thinking marketing FAM trip.”
Mariette Stevenson, Travel Marketing Executive at Mid Counties Co-op Travel:
“One of the biggest things for me was the content we were able to capture. It was high-quality, in-the-moment stuff that we don’t always get from agents, and the engagement showed that too. We even had customers messaging saying they were telling friends and family to follow along with our stories to see what they were up to, which was so nice to hear and shows how impactful that kind of content can be.”
“And the Riviera cruise itself is just incredible. It’s not something I’d probably have experienced otherwise, so I feel lucky to have been invited. I haven’t stopped talking about it since, and that kind of genuine excitement makes such a difference when it comes to sharing it with our audience.”
To ensure agents can access these experiences in a commercially visible way, Riviera Travel continues to offer up to 30% discount for agents, enabling partners to experience the product they sell while building destination and itinerary knowledge that directly supports conversion.
Riviera Travel continues to invest in accessible training and support for agents through Riv Explorer, its dedicated learning hub for the trade.
Agents can complete product modules, watch on-demand webinars, access tools and assets and benefit from RIVA AI – Riviera’s 24/7 AI support – designed to assist agents at every stage of the booking journey.
The extensive 2026 FAM programme forms part of Riviera Travel’s wider trade-first strategy, focused on long-term partnerships and meaningful engagement.
By offering a broad mix of itineraries and formats, the operator aims to meet the needs of agents across the UK and Ireland, whether they are newer to Riviera or long-standing partners looking to deepen their expertise.
Amanda Docherty, Head of UK Trade Sales at Riviera Travel, comments:
“Our FAM programme is designed to give agents first-hand experience of the full breadth of what Riviera offers. By offering a mix of trip formats this year – from marketing exclusive trips to dedicated conferences – we’re supporting agents in building their product knowledge. Ultimately, it’s about helping agents sell with real insight and assurance.”
Agents can get in touch with the Riviera Travel team via agents@rivieratravel.co.uk, join the dedicated Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/rivieratravelagents and access the Riviera Explorer via www.rivexplorer.com.
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