Phil Hullah (CEO), Carrie Day (Country Manager Ireland), Vicky Billing (Director Trade & Partnerships, UK & Ireland), Roxy Glendon (Senior Trade Marketing Manager, UK, Ireland & International Trade) and Cass Helstrip (CPR) hosted senior members of the Irish travel trade and media for an evening of fine dining at the 5-star Westbury in Dublin.
Vicky introduced the Riviera Travel team, who were all in attendance, with Carrie Day getting extended applause as she greeted the audience as the new Riviera Travel Country Manager for Ireland. Vicky shared that while Riviera Travel is a UK brand, it aligns with the Irish market and how the Irish market really matters to them.
Riviera Travel – A Leading River Cruise & Tour Operator in the UK
Riviera is a leading river cruise and tour operator in the UK. Founded by Michael Wright in 1984, in Burton-on-Trent, England, where Michael grew up. Phil Hullah elaborated that the founder had humble business beginnings, starting with 4 tents in the South of France, which is where Riviera Travel got its name. Michael Wright, realising that camping was hard work, seasonal and not scalable, retired the tents and started the tours. The first coach tour transported customers from Burton-on-Trent to Paris on the ferry.
Flash forward over 40 years and today, Riviera Travel operates in 66 countries and offers 90 European tours, 52 worldwide tours, 19 ocean cruises, 43 solo traveller vacations, and 50 river cruises. However, at its heart and soul, explains Phil, it is that passion for travel, started by Michael Wright, that continues to drive the ethos of the company. Dedicated agents personally select every aspect of the holiday for their guests, ensuring that each itinerary is thoughtfully balanced to include both time to explore and time to relax.
Phil shared with the audience, “I do genuinely think that the heart of the business, the values, the sort of soul of what we’re about, is the same as it was 40 years ago. And this is Michael who used to say, we are here to provide exceptional holiday experiences to the world’s most fascinating destinations that are as educational as they are entertaining and all for the best value, that’s where he came from – that’s in his words, not mine, but I think it’s still really, really true.”
He added, “We want to be the number one specialist tour & river cruise operator for over 60s customers.” Their target market is educated, affluent, more mature cruisers who want to explore, who are curious about the itineraries, who have that travelling spirit, whether it is land tours or river cruises.
Riviera Travel has Won Multiple Awards
With a focus on quality not quantity, Riviera Travel has won multiple awards including Which? Recommended Provider for River Cruises and Escorted Tours in 2024, and numerous other recognitions from the Food and Travel Awards (2024), British Travel Awards (2023), Wave Awards (2024), The Travel Awards (2022), and many others over the years.
Operating through a majority direct and travel agent model in the UK, in 2017, Silverfleet Capital took over the ownership of Riviera Travel. Since 2018, the company has been operating in the North American and Australian markets through a trade-only distribution route.
How Riviera Travel Plans to Deliver
Phil shares that it is about focusing on the aspects that have made Riviera a success for the last 41 years. It’s not a secret formula, he explains, but a focus on the aspects that matter to people, it is about meaning what you say and delivering on it. 40 years of experience building, crafting and running touring holidays helps to get the right itinerary at the right pace and right balance. While they don’t aim to be the cheapest, they do want their customers to have higher quality and level of inclusions for the price paid compared with others in the market. He added, they go the extra mile if things get complicated, driven by a passion and ethos for their customers.
The focus is to invest in Ireland, and the role of the travel trade is “absolutely central to what we want to do in Ireland”, explained Phil.
Riviera Travel Sets Its Sights on Significant Growth in Ireland
Riviera Travel is charting an ambitious new chapter in Ireland. Since launching operations in the Irish market, Riviera has grown rapidly, building on the success of its very first departure, a 3-night city break to Paris. Today, the brand offers far more than its name suggests, with a wide-ranging portfolio that includes European touring, solo travel, and river cruising all designed to deliver exceptional experiences at outstanding value.
Solos Surge and New Ships Set Sail
Despite its strong roots in the UK, Riviera Travel sees Ireland not just as a sister market but as a strategic launchpad for global growth. “Ireland has always been an important market for Riviera,” said Vicky Billing, Director of Trade and Partnerships. “The Irish market is dynamic, loyal, and incredibly agent-driven. Trade has been the crux of our success here. Our travel agent partners are not only trusted advisers to their customers but also trusted advisers to us. Their local expertise, deep customer relationships, and ability to unlock new segments are absolutely central to our expansion plans. What’s next? We’re just getting started.”
A Stronghold for Trade
Trade remains a cornerstone of Riviera’s success. In Ireland, between 1 December 2024 and year to date Riviera is +64% up year-on-year on passengers and 74% up on revenue.
Solos, Ships, and Strategic Expansion
Appetite for solo cruising is very strong, now Riviera’s fastest-growing segment in Ireland. This is along with Riviera Travel’s Discovery Cruises, which are 3- or 4-night cruises to give new-to-cruise travellers a chance to dip their toes in the water and get a taste of what a river cruise has to offer. This means more guests can experience a Riviera Cruise or River Cruise for the first time.
Riviera’s fleet is growing, having recently launched Riviera Rose sailing the Douro & Radiance sailing the Danube. Riviera Resplendence joins in early 2026 to sail on the Rhine with whispers of even more new additions on the horizon!
Riviera Travel now offer ten top-selling European tours tailored for the Irish market, including:
- Lake Maggiore, Orta & the Matterhorn
- Hidden Italy: Padua, Vicenza & Mantua
- Basilicata: Lecce, Alberobello & Matera
What’s Next: Local Focus
Carrie Day shared, “The fact that Phil has made the journey over here, I think really speaks volumes that Ireland is such an important market for Riviera”.
Dedicated Country Manager in Ireland: Carrie says, “We are making some significant changes to directly support agency growth, including my appointment as a dedicated Country Manager. I will be working closely with Vicky to lead local strategy and deepen trade relationships.
More Fam Trips: Vicky says, “We will be significantly increasing the number of fam trips to help Irish agents better understand our product. We’ll also expand trade support through Riviera Explorer, our online training platform, and we have an exciting incentive this September. Our objective is to provide the agents with powerful tools and rewards to help drive sales, to enable us to achieve our rapid growth plans in this region.”
New Website Launching in Late-July: In terms of the digital experience for travel agents, Carrie shared that a new website will launch next Tuesday, 22nd July 2025, to offer improved online tools for agencies.
Increased Media Spend & Agents as Call To Action: Further supporting agents, Riviera Travel is back on TV in July and August with an increased media spend to drive consumer awareness and conversion with agents as the call to action to support front-line agents.
Regional Air Partnerships: Riviera is currently reviewing timelines to launch regional air partnerships, aiming to expand departure point options and replicate a strategy that has proven successful in the UK.
Agent Incentive in September: Carrie urged agents to stay up to date on developments with an agent incentive launching in September, offering instant prizes ranging from vouchers to free cruises.
2027 Cruises on Sale from 17 September: Carrie shared river cruising for 2027 will go on sale on 17 September. Carrie emphasised that Riviera Travel has 10 of their top-selling tours available to the Irish market and, as brand awareness grows, this will expand. Finally,
“Everything we’re doing is designed with agents in mind”
“Everything we’re doing is designed with agents in mind,” concludes Director of Trade and Partnerships Vicky. “From streamlined training and resources to immersive fams and fast-turnaround support, our goal is to make it as easy as possible for agents to sell Riviera confidently and profitably. Ireland will remain at the heart of our international growth story.”
Ireland represents the perfect blend of opportunity and partnership for Riviera Travel
“Ireland represents the perfect blend of opportunity and partnership for Riviera Travel. With strong agent relationships, a growing and engaged customer base, and a clear appetite for our evolving product range, this market is not just thriving, it’s leading. What we’ve achieved so far is just the beginning. We’re investing for the long term, and Ireland will be central to our global growth journey.” Phil Hullah, CEO of Riviera Travel.
ITAA President, Tom Randles
ITAA President, Tom Randles, spoke to the hosts on behalf of guests, “Thank you, sincerely, for an incredible evening, incredible food, good company and on behalf of the ITAA, I want to thank Riviera for their support, it is really appreciated and valued. It is great to have you back in the market… we would have dealt with Riviera pre-COVID… the product was always excellent, the service was wonderful. It’s great that it is a new product to offer our clients, and that is what we need as an industry.”
“We wish you the very best in the market and, on a personal note, I want to congratulate Carrie on the new role. We all know Carrie… she brings an enthusiasm & knowledge from [travel] jobs and I’m sure she will do fantastically,” he shared and was met with thunderous applause.
He added that with operators seeking to enter the Irish market, support of the travel trade will see a reciprocal support towards the operator. With new entrants working with the travel trade, he sees it very much as a partnership, a “win-win” for both sides.
