The global head of The Travel
Corporation, among whose brands
include Uniworld Boutique River
Cruise Collection, has labelled
the unbridled expansion of river
cruising on European waterways
as “irresponsible”.
In Sydney last week, Los Angeles-
based Brett Tollman told Cruise
Weekly he was concerned of the
impact and experience the “glut”
of capacity was causing in Europe.
TTC acquired Uniworld when
river cruising was in its infancy &
operates 13 ships in Europe on the
Danube, Main, Rhine, Moselle,
Rhône, Saône, Seine, Dordogne,
Garonne, Po and Douro rivers.
Since then, multiple new lines
have entered the arena & others
have significantly ramped up their
presence, such as Viking, which
now has 64 ships, christening 12
new vessels in Mar (CW 26 Mar).
Questioned by Cruise Weekly
if Uniworld would likely respond
by adding new ships, Tollman
slammed the current influx which
he says is saturating the market.
“Definitely not. I think it’s
stupid. I think it’s irresponsible
to the sector, to the customers
because the docking space is not
keeping up with the plethora of
inventory,” Tollman remarked.
“Rivers are finite, therefore we
are only cannibalising ourselves.
“If you end up with too many
ships, it negatively impacts the
experience for everyone.”
Docks are filling with so many ships that iconic landscapes in
cities such as Paris are now lost to
the view of a neighbouring ship
in port, Tollman said, adding he
hoped ship development would
slow down in the next 5-10 years.
He also lambasted the free and
‘2-for-1’ airfares to Europe being
offered by competitors which is
cheapening the market.
“It’s becoming a mini version of
ocean cruising.
“We certainly don’t believe in
it. We have a much higher cost
infrastructure and spend approx
$10+ million more on our ships
than any of our competitors, so
we have a higher investment per
ship…we won’t and can’t drop
our prices,” Tollman said.
“We’re all suffering in terms of
this glut of additional inventory
but the segment has, in the long
term, a very rosy future.
“Many in the segment will be
looking at Scenic and Viking who
have upped the game, and that is
fantastic. I think it raises the bar
for all of us. Competition is very
good. It keeps you on your toes.
“If you want to survive & thrive
you’ve got to make sure you have
a point of difference.
“I think we are in a good place,
as are a lot of our competitors,”
Tollman added.
While critical of capacity,
Tollman applauded Viking for
bringing awareness and interest
to the river cruise segment,
saying its competitor was doing
“a fantastic job of advertising”.
