Riviera Travel has launched a new brand campaign, designed to ‘break the mould’ in river cruise advertising, said the brand in a statement.
Riviera has invested more than £3.7m in the Forever Curious campaign, across a host of channels, including various trade marketing platforms.
The campaign was shot in France, Germany and Switzerland, around the Seine and Rhine rivers. Two of Riviera’s ships were used: MS Jane Austen and MS George Eliot.
The adverts focus on aspects of a river cruise holiday that new guests may not have been expecting; the opportunities to explore ashore that can lead the inquisitive into a late-night jazz club or local beer tasting.
Partnership trade activities being launched include e-shots, social media posts, direct mail and print and digital advertising, with agents including Bolsover, Midcounties, Miles Morgan, Hays and Premier Travel.
Complementary consumer television, radio and digital advertising will run on ITV, Channel 4 and Sky TV channels, and Classic FM covering the north, south and midlands.
The campaign will run to November.
Sarah Fowler, Riviera Travel’s Head of Brand & Acquisition, said: “We really wanted to stand out from the crowd by doing something bold and different, that taps into the emotional benefits of river cruising and focuses on the experiences guests enjoy and the memories they take away with them.
“Forever Curious also challenges some of the stereotypes about river cruising and brings to life the breadth of experiences guests have, whether they like to be active or relax and simply watch the world go by.
“River cruising is a wonderful choice and the one element that unites all our guests is their curious spirit, the desire to discover more of the world around them and be enriched by authentic travel experiences.
“Our aim is for the trade to see us as the go-to brand for over 55s seeking to learn, discover and be inspired by travel experiences, and we feel Forever Curious is a really strong creative platform to deliver this for us.
“Although the last two years have been tough for the whole industry, Riviera Travel has remained in a strong position, thanks in part to the fantastic support we have received from the trade.
“Now is the perfect time to invest in a significant campaign to drive brand awareness ahead of the peak trading period in January, as all of us including our agent partners prepare for an exciting 2023.”
The campaign has been launched to complement a major piece of independent research, which revealed Riviera has five key customer types, all of whom display clear ‘curious’ characteristics:
* Curious Roamers: 60-80 year-olds who seek breadth and diversity on holiday, including lots of ‘big sights’ on the same trip
* History Hungry: 65+ guests who are active, culture-engaged and fascinated by real insight into the past, including how people worked or lived, religion and art
* Passion Junkies: 55-70-year-old who have a singular, interest-led focus such as a transport type, human culture or art
* Extreme Adventure: Younger, 45-mid 60s guests, who have authenticity as an absolute focus
* Luxury Lovers: Guests of any age who seek out premium offerings such as entertainment, food, cabins and service
The campaign will serve as the basis for Riviera’s early 2023 ‘peak’ marketing and publicity plan, and be extended further across Riviera’s portfolio of products.
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