The inaugural Avalon agent training charter has set sail along the Rhine River—said to be an Australasian first— and while celebrating the milestone, Globus family of bands’ head of commercial ANZ Brett Simon says the departure is also having a positive industry impact.
There are almost 100 consultants from both sides of the Tasman on board Avalon’s Envision for the week-long program. Simon says the strong turnout highlights the resilience of Aussie and Kiwi travellers, and the importance of agents as travel ambassadors during these uncertain times.
“Originally we had 120 people coming, and all but 34 of those were booked via Dubai or Qatar. We had some cancellations but the majority of the agents rerouted themselves. They understand that Europe is open—and they will return home and reassure their clients that they can still travel, they just may have to fly a different way for now.”
The training cruise, designed for novice or recently returned consultants, features a 25-strong Kiwi agent delegation.
For some it’s their first time to Europe and others it’s their first river cruise and Simon says ‘that’s what it’s all about’.
“Again, I think this trip will benefit river cruise as a whole. These are not your normal top sellers. Post-Covid everyone in the industry is in the same boat. There are some really experienced agents and there’s a lot of novices or those who don’t sell long-haul travel. But there’s a gap in the middle,” he says.
“We’re hoping to bridge that gap and let those agents all experience river cruising and our product for themselves, so they can go on and sell river cruising and Avalon with confidence. We need to develop those next top sellers,” he adds.
. . . 90% Trade
The Kiwi trade distribution still accounts for 90% of GFOB’s New Zealand sales and Simon says 2026 was off to a very strong start, before the events of 28 Feb.
“Feb was a bumper month and obviously what’s happening now is ‘a real handbrake’, but we’re actually surprised at how little people have cancelled,” says the GFOB executive. “Obviously our safety net policy gives both agents and their clients the confidence to still book.” Simon points out the company prides itself on its support team, and ‘doing the right thing for both clients and agents’.
