Luxury river cruise operator UniworldBoutique River Cruises is set to become a ‘super brand’ of The Travel Corporation under new owners Apollo, it has been revealed.The move, flagged in Sydney by Alice Ager, Managing Director of Uniworld Australia/New Zealand, will see a massive investment from the private equity firm in the cruise brand, carrying with it new-build ships, new technology and new and expanded partnerships.Apollo acquire TTC nine months ago and has been “working through TTC’s complex structure of 40+ brands,” Ager told trade partners and media at an event.“The business will move from a model that revolved around brands and travel styles to a slightly different structure, putting the guest even deeper at the heart or our business,” she said.Subscribe to LATTE Cruise’s free eNewsletter to keep up to date with everything in the luxury cruise space.Apollo’s strategy is centred on a collection of overarching long-established, well know travel brands, with Uniworld accounting for the luxury traveller.“We’ll be chasing the luxury traveller like never before,” Ager said. “We’re evolving to a travel company that offers all the elements to a luxury guest.”That will include merging Luxury Gold into Uniworld’s scope. Luxury Gold features more intimately sized group departures, staying in five-star hotels and dining in Michelin-star restaurants. This ‘no brainer’ integration has already been welcomed by guests aboard Uniworld ships who now have a Luxury Gold brochure in their stateroom/suite to tempt them to book luxury land touring.
“From 2027, we will have this perfect combinability that is going to become our superpower as Uniworld and Luxury Gold,” Ager explained.
Ager said Apollo very much want to “position Uniworld at the top of the river cruise market.” That includes multiple new ships that will bulk up Uniworld’s capacity by 40% in the next five years. The first ship in that expanded fleet is the SS Emilie which is already under construction. Two other new-builds were also announced earlier this year. Some of the other vessels in the expanded fleet are also already under construction.Other initiatives Ager revealed for Uniworld include a bolstered partnership with Golden Eagle Luxury Trains, that will potentially include new combination cruise and rail journeys, new alliances such as that with Seabourn for a new 15-day river/ocean combination itinerary, and a boosting Uniworld’s association with Aqua Expeditions. For several years, Uniworld has chartered multiple departures of Aqua’s high-end Amazon river boats. That tie-up will be expanded to Indonesia in 2027, with several departures of Aqua Blu.“We need to have these experiences available to suit the needs of every luxury traveller,” Ager said.
