Uniworld Australia & New Zealand MD Alice Ager says the luxury river cruise line will undergo a “big brand refresh” later this year in a bid to make it a household name, highlighting its culinary offering and its ability to provide unrivalled access.
Speaking to Karryon ahead of Uniworld’s 50th-anniversary celebrations this year, Ager says the luxury river cruise brand will undergo a significant refresh to “cut through the cruise noise” so it can tell its story about how unique it really is.
“It’ll take place in May or June, and I really want Uniworld to become a household name to support travel advisors because they say when they present a quote to clients, the client often chooses other brands because they recognise them, and I want us to be a brand everyone recognises and trusts.
“We will make a big play in the consumer advertising space, so people know how we are different and unique. We need to play into that storytelling about how we are leading the way with dining and the local cuisine we serve on our ships.
“We also provide access to places you couldn’t go on your own. A lot of river cruise lines do it, but being part of The Travel Corporation, we get access to things no one else does, and so we can take guests to have experiences that are priceless.”
The gold touch
The rebrand announcement follows Uniworld’s takeover of Luxury Gold, which joined the portfolio late last year, and will be sold as package deals with river cruises for the first time from February.
Ager says it “makes sense” to take Luxury Gold into its fold.
“We’re already talking to a luxury market, so this will mean when we’re having those conversations already, we can easily add a combination experience.”
Ager says the other benefit to its guests is that a partnership with Luxury Gold means there’s a concierge travelling with you through your entire trip.
“If you want to find a specific local shop or café, they will point you in the direction instead of you wandering aimlessly, and the guests are saying afterwards that they would feel lost without this level of service.”
The changing luxury traveller
Ager says everything it does is to meet the evolving luxury traveller.
“Farmers are some of our biggest clients, and they love good food, so this is a driver for how we will market ourselves, and we take a lot of honeymooners to places like Paris because it’s the best five-star floating hotel there is, and for them it’s about value for money and access.
“While the age of the river cruiser is getting younger, the main change in the luxury traveller is that they are time poor and want to tick things off their list, and they are prepared to pay for that.”
But she says there’s one caveat.
“They expect value for money. They don’t want to be ripped off, so regardless of how much money they have in the bank, they want to feel like they’re getting value.”
A year of celebration
“A 50th wedding anniversary is the golden anniversary, so we’re making this year all about gold, and we’ll have a party on every cruise where that is the theme.”
Uniworld will also introduce two new mystery cruise sailings, plus the brand’s first Grand Mystery Cruise combining a 50-night ‘Rivers of the World’ cruise spanning three continents and four ships and ‘Generations Collection’ family sailings.
This year will also see the debut of S.S. Emilie, the brand’s first new build since 2021, sailing the Danube across eight European itineraries.
The 154-passenger Super Ship is inspired by Austrian painter Gustav Klimt and named for his muse, Emilie Flöge, with Art Nouveau design elements, dramatic jewel tones, gold accents, and a two-bedroom suite option.
For more information, visit Uniworld.
