Hop Aboard This Travel Incentives Trend: European River Cruises

Hop Aboard This Travel Incentives Trend: European River Cruises

Nichole Gunn

Best Group Incentive Travel Destinations_Incentive-Solutions(v1)

In today’s crowded markets, every company wants to stand out and secure top talent in the industry. One of the best ways to show appreciation to your top salespeople and market yourself as an exciting, thriving organization is to plan a group travel or incentive trip. Unique destinations are sure to turn heads, which is why we want to share great incentive trip ideas with you. We created the monthly Emerging Incentive Travel Destination series to highlight interesting destinations and point out what makes them perfect for corporate and incentive travel.

This month’s destination is a bit different because it’s not any one particular location. European river cruises can include stops at many lovely cities, which is part of their appeal. All in all, the European river cruise experience is perfect for group incentive travel or corporate meetings and events. Here’s why:[ezcol_1half]

  • No crowds, no chaos

    River cruises are much more intimate excursions than ocean cruises. A Carnival cruise ship usually carries 2-3,000 people and are like floating amusement parks, packed with different things to do at all hours. Hosting a group travel event in such a huge crowd can quickly become cumbersome and time-consuming. Those long lines to get on and off the ship can be a real buzzkill. River cruise ships typically hold no more than 200 passengers, making the experience vastly more peaceful and manageable. Corporate incentive travel planners have much more control over the environment, which is more suitable than ocean ships for meetings and events. On a smaller river ship, your group is more likely to dine or attend entertainment, activities and events at the same, scheduled time. Since the purpose of incentive or business group travel is often to foster camaraderie and team building among colleagues, river cruises are ideal for incentive trips.

  • No sea legs needed

    On a river cruise, land is always in sight and there’s very little turbulence. This is a big plus for those who get seasick easily, are afraid of encountering a storm at sea, don’t like being tossed around on rocky waves, or just aren’t wild about the idea of being out in the middle of the ocean—cut off from civilization—for days at a time.

  • Beautiful, historic European cities

    While typical ocean liners set sail for beautiful destinations, those destinations tend to be limited to a certain kind—tropical, warm, coastal tourist hot-spots. European river cruises offer something very different than the typical group travel cruise fare. Danube River cruises, for example, tour cities like Budapest, Vienna, Dürnstein, and Passau, including stops at multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites along the way. Passengers can explore quaint villages, vibrant cities, abbeys, cathedrals, vineyards, and medieval castles that line river routes. Between events and activities, they can enjoy the view of these majestic European cities from the comfort of their rooms, or bask in the sun with a glass of wine on the deck as the beautiful scenery glides past.

The floating playground of an ocean cruise ship doubtlessly sounds exciting to some. But if you’re planning to offer corporate travel incentives or coordinate a company event, a European river cruise is much more your speed. The beauty, intimacy, and cultural value of European river cruises make them popular with our incentive travel clients. We offer European river cruise group deals along with a full range of group travel management services, beginning with free site selection and free contract negotiation.

Let’s start hammering out your incentive program today!

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