Riviera Travel has revealed its ambition to become the “market leader” in escorted long-haul travel by 2030.
The specialist set out its target at an event in London to celebrate the launch of its 2027 long-haul collection, days before it unveiled its new digital assistant for agents, Riva AI.
Head of long-haul product Christian Locke told Travel Weekly the operator would use the launch of the programme, which includes Sri Lanka, South Africa, India, Morocco and Thailand, as a “springboard” for further growth in long-haul sales and for other destinations to be added.
“We want to put volume into our existing tours as well as add new destinations to ensure we get a broad mix of different customers,” he said.
More: Riviera Travel takes ’bold step’ as it unveils ’game-changing’ AI assistant
When asked whether Riviera Travel wants to be the market leader in terms of revenue or reputation, Locke said “it’s a mixture of both”, adding: “We’re already recognised as a really strong tour operator in the market in terms of repeat customers.”
Locke revealed the operator, which has an Atol for 81,255, is planning to make further investments in its long-haul business as it looks to grow its long-haul passengers to “about the 20,000 mark” by 2030.
He said the announcement of a regional flying programme in September, which would see the operator offer flights from Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow from September 2026, was introduced largely to benefit trade partners.
“We wanted to get that foothold among agents across different parts of the country so customers can fly from their local airport,” he said.
Locke added agents would be “absolutely key” in helping Riviera Travel achieve its goal of becoming “number one in the market for long‑haul group escorted tours by 2030”, as he revealed long-haul sales through the trade are up 26% versus the same period last year.
Overall, trade sales account for about 30% of Riviera Travel’s business but “there are plans to grow that”.
“All of the work the trade team has been doing this year really helps to build trade business,” explained Locke.
Unveiling Riva AI at the start of this week, Riviera Travel described it as a “transformational” tool that would assist agents with itinerary details and destination insights, social media content, client emails and more.
