Riviera Travel has announced the return of its annual Travel Trade Awards – known as the Riv Awards – with Irish agents and partners invited to attend for the first time.
Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, the awards have now expanded to include the Irish market, reinforcing Riviera’s commitment to recognising and rewarding the achievements of its valued trade partners across the UK and Ireland.
The 2026 ceremony will shine a spotlight on top-performing agents, agencies and partners who have delivered strong year-on-year growth and demonstrated outstanding partnership across Riviera Travel’s river cruise and touring portfolio.
The Riv Awards for 2026 will take place on Thursday 26 March at the beautiful Hotel Café Royal in London, welcoming shortlisted partners from across Ireland and the UK for an evening celebrating trade excellence.
Awards will be presented across a broad range of categories, including regional store awards, top – performing national agency awards, top -performing individual agent awards, as well as Riviera ambassador and marketing awards.
To mark the Riv Awards now expanding into the Irish market, four new award categories have been introduced this year, including two Irish only dedicated awards:
- Top Regional Store (Ireland)
- Best Up & Coming (Ireland)
- Top Performing Agent (Ireland & UK)
- River Champion Award – Split into River Cruise and Touring (Ireland & UK)
The awards will recognise excellence in sales performance, year-on-year growth, and wider brand engagement.
Created as a dedicated trade initiative to thank its agent partners for their continued support and contribution to the brands growth, the Riv Awards reflect Riviera’s ongoing investment in the trade and its long-standing commitment to building strong and collaborative partnerships.
Vicky Billing, Trade and Partnerships Director UK & Ireland at Riviera Travel, said:
“Launching the Riv Awards for a second year is a fantastic moment for us. Having proudly won 14 awards across the UK & Ireland trade in 2025, we know just how instrumental our travel trade partners are to Riviera’s continued growth. Their commitment to delivering exceptional results deserves real recognition. We’re overjoyed and proud to be able to celebrate the outstanding achievements of those individuals and agencies who have helped Riviera deliver another fantastic year!”
Carrie Day, Country Account Manager Ireland at Riviera Travel, added:
“I’m absolutely delighted that Irish agents and partners will be part of the Riv Awards this year. Their support and dedication to growing Riviera’s brand in the Irish market over the past year has been incredible, and it feels great that we’ll be able to celebrate the achievements at the event.”
Riviera Travel looks forward to welcoming its Irish trade partners to the Riv Awards in 2026 and celebrating the dedication and results that continue to drive mutual success across the travel industry.
Guest invitations will be sent out shortly.
