Uniworld Boutique River Cruises is bringing forward the release of its 2024 program by two months compared to previous years, riding the tide of increased demand for luxury river cruising and capitalising on peak interest from early bookers.

Travelling solo in 2022 is more affordable with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises waiving its Single Supplement on many of its top European itineraries.

A new project with legendary luxury textiles producer and design powerhouse Fortuny showcases a reimagined S.S. La Venezia featuring Fortuny’s incomparable fabrics enveloping guests in beauty, tradition and artistry of its Northern Italian itinerary.

The river cruise segment of the industry seems to have been a relatively silent casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, with the much larger ocean operators taking the brunt of the media spotlight in the past three months.

It would be an understatement to say the global coronavirus pandemic is morphing the entire travel and cruise industry landscape at the moment. The business downturn continues to exacerbate as tens of thousands of travel and tourism jobs are paused in an effort to ride out this storm.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection hosted key agents for an evening of celebration at the Deckhouse in Woolwich last Friday [14 February] in Sydney. Reflecting Uniworld’s impeccable service, the evening began in style with guests starting the ‘night of nights’ by boarding a vintage Sydney ferry, which transported them to the exclusive secret location. Uniworld’s President & CEO, Ellen Bettridge, was in Sydney to host the evening.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection’s Global CEO Ellen Bettridge says she is hopeful of a resolution “soon than later” in the suit against MSC Cruises regarding the damage to the River Countess in Venice, Italy last year.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection will be without a Managing Director in the Australian market indefinitely following the announcement that Fiona Dalton would step into the role of CEO for The Travel Corporation Australia (TTC). Dalton is currently on sabbatical to complete her MBA and will take on the new responsibility in early October 2020. She has been in the MD role for Uniworld Australia for four years.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection filed a lawsuit against MSC Cruise Management (UK) Limited this week. Uniworld is seeking reimbursement for damages incurred following the 2 June, 2019 incident in which River Countess was struck and subsequently taken out of service by an out-of-control MSC Opera, while docked at the San Basilio Cruise Terminal in Venice, Italy.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection will add South America to its portfolio of destinations next year, with two new itineraries throughout the Peruvian Amazon aboard Aria Amazon.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has postponed the debut of its brand new Portugal-based ship by two weeks. The setback comes as Uniworld revealed a first look of the Super Ship S.S. São Gabriel, now launching from Porto on 12 April, 2020. S.S. São Gabriel was originally slated to commence service on 26 March 2020.

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection’s River Countess resumed operation last weekend, three months after the vessel was struck and damaged in Venice by an out-of-control MSC Opera.