Riviera Travel has announced 17 winners in its first ever “The Riv Awards” ceremony to honour the shining lights in the travel trade industry.
Following the announcement of the event earlier this year, “The Riv Awards 2025” took place at The Lookout in central London on Thursday, April 10th, with nominees being shortlisted across three key categories: Regional, National and Special Recognition Awards.
A multi-award-winning company in its own right, Riviera Travel launched this new trade initiative to thank its many dedicated travel trade partners – such as sales agents, offices and collaborators – for their contribution and sales of River Cruise and Touring holidays.
Hosted by award-winning TV presenter and journalist Dean Wilson, guests were greeted with welcome drinks before sitting down for a three-course lunch high up on the 50th floor with sweeping
views across the city.
Following an introductory speech by Riviera Travel Chief Commercial Officer, Robin Shaw, during which he thanked trade partners “who contributed significantly to our stunning performance this year, which was up 47% year-on-year from 2023 to 2024”, host Dean Wilson and Vicky Billing led attendees through the awards.
At the event, Northern Irish agency Oasis Travel, Lisburn were recognised with a Riv Award for Northern Ireland. Winners in the Regional and National Award categories were chosen based on year-on-year revenue growth and sales volume, while the Special Recognition Awards were chosen by evaluating brand engagement and marketing initiatives as well as delivering strong volume and YOY growth.
Dean says, “It was an absolute honour to host the very first Riviera Travel awards in London, an event that truly showcased the incredible passion and dedication of their travel agent partners. Having recently experienced the Riviera product on their trade VIP cruise from Budapest to Vienna, I saw first hand the elegance, service and attention to detail that sets them apart. What struck me the most, both onboard and at the awards, is the unique and genuine relationship that Riviera Travel has with their travel agents.”
Vicky Billing, Head of Trade & Partnerships UK &Ireland, says, “I’m absolutely thrilled to say that the very first Riviera Travel Trade Awards – or The Riv Awards – were a huge success! It was a truly special event dedicated to recognising the incredible contribution of our trade partners.
“Personally, if I could give every single person in the trade an award, I would. The support and growth we’ve seen – across both river cruising and touring – has been nothing short of phenomenal, but it’s the people behind it all who make the real difference.”
Billings continued, “We can’t thank our trade partners enough for all their support, we could not do what we do without them and I’m already looking forward to next year’s awards – and I’ve no doubt they’ll be even bigger and better!”
