avalon Waterways managing director Australasia Stewart Williams has expressed concerns at river cruising falling into a culture of heavy discounting on the basis of sheer overcapacity. Speaking to CW at the launch of the line’s 2016 season, Williams said ever-growing competition in Australia and ballooning capacity was leading to dangerous...
avalon Waterways managing
director Australasia Stewart
Williams has expressed concerns
at river cruising falling into a
culture of heavy discounting on
the basis of sheer overcapacity.
Speaking to CW at the launch of
the line’s 2016 season, Williams
said ever-growing competition in
Australia and ballooning capacity
was leading to dangerous territory
and desperation to fill cabins.
“Operators rely to a great extent
on the Australian marketplace
and they get worried that they’ve
got inventory [so] they distress it
and dump it on the market. It’s
not the way it should be done.”
Williams added that sales for
2015 were currently down from
a “record year” in 2014, but that
numbers for 2015 departures
were recovering week by week.
Avalon will expand its reach
into Belgium next year, cruising
the Meuse River as far as the
town of Namur in one of two new
itineraries kicking off next Apr.
Both beginning in Amsterdam,
the eight and nine-day journeys
visit cities such as Antwerp and
Brussels, WWI Battlefields in the
Flanders region and more, priced
from $2,990pp twin share.
A 267-page Avalon brochure is
available now – more on page 3.
