Taking a page from the Olympics, AmaWaterways has launched its ‘Cruise for Gold’ travel advisor incentives, offering Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals to the three North American travel advisors who book the most river cruises to France with the company during the course of the Summer and Paralympic Games in Paris – July 26 to Sept. 8.
All prizes are for a travel advisor and guest (subject to availability) from September to March 2025. They include:
- Gold Medal – a luxury suite on AmaWaterways 12-day “Secrets of Egypt & the Nile River” cruise
- Silver Medal – a twin-balcony stateroom on any European itinerary, excluding Portugal, and,
- Bronze Medal – a French balcony stateroom on any European itinerary excluding Portugal
The contest entry path is simple: travel advisors are automatically entered for every new fully deposited booking on any 2024 and 2025 French itinerary made during booking window. The more bookings, the more entries. Winners will be drawn at random and announced on Sept. 9. A flyer summarizing the details of the contest can be found at 2024_CruiseforGold_Contest.pdf.
To help travel partners maximize reservations during this period, AmaWaterways has produced a wide range of marketing materials including social reels, imagery, and videos – all available at the line’s Travel Agent portal: Travel Agent Home Page | AmaWaterways. A new video and additional reels for social media featuring AmaWaterways French cruises have been added to the sales/marketing materials.
The cruise company also says it will unveil a new booking incentive for Canadians this week that will help agents sell.
Strong demand
Ama says it has been seeing strong demand for its French itineraries this year, both before and after the Games. In order to meet demand, the company has introduced a new ‘Flavours of Burgundy’ itinerary for 2024, highlighting the elegance of the Burgundy region. There are also two new offerings in 2025: the 14-night ‘Grand Seine & Bordeaux’ and ‘Grand Seine & Rhône,’ combining the best of French history, art, food, and wine.
“Over the coming weeks the eyes of the world will be on France” says AmaWaterways Sr. VP Alex Pinelo. “Every day, millions of people will be watching live streams from many parts of France, and this will undoubtedly bring the destination to the forefront of their minds. It’s not just Paris that will be hosting events, Bordeaux, Marseille and Lyon are all operating as Summer Games venues and will be in the spotlight too. The travel advisor community has a great opportunity to capitalize on France’s high profile and earn both great commissions and fabulous prizes.”
AmaWaterways operates a choice of eight French itineraries across five ships.