Top-Producing Virtuoso Member Agencies Earn Budapest to Nuremburg Cruise and Experience River Cruising at its Best
NEW YORK, 2012-11-21 — /travelprnews.com/ — River cruising is one of the fastest growing trends in luxury travel. As a testament to this trend, leading luxury travel network, Virtuoso® , elected to hold its eighth annual Chairman’s Recognition Event aboard AmaWaterways’ AmaCerto. AmaWaterways hosted the group of 133 executives and guests from Virtuoso’s top 60 travel agency members from the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, South America and Australia. The privately chartered weeklong cruise took this elite group of passengers on an excursion down the Danube River, beginning in Budapest, Hungary and ending in Nuremberg, Germany from November 8-15, 2012, providing many on board with a chance to experience Europe in an entirely different way.
“It is our honor to host such an esteemed group, and an opportunity to thank Virtuoso for the support it continues to provide us,” stated Rudi Schreiner, President of AmaWaterways. “We recognize the importance of the travel agency community and the vital role they play in educating consumers about our products, and ultimately placing their clients on our ships.”
Citing its soon-to-be-released Luxe Report, Virtuoso identified “River Cruising” among the top-five travel trends for 2013, pointing to the network’s own increase of 150 per cent in year-over-year sales with AmaWaterways. Despite the substantial sales growth, though, only nine per cent of attendees had personally cruised on an AmaWaterways’ ship, offering the majority of those aboard a perfect opportunity to experience the product firsthand.
“Our Chairman’s Recognition Event celebrates the achievement of our Virtuoso members and provides intimate exposure to new or exotic products and destinations. Our members are always ahead of the curve, which benefits our host suppliers and destinations, as well as our members’ clients,” said Matthew D. Upchurch, CTC, Chairman and CEO of Virtuoso. “I expect river cruising sales to soar even higher after these professionals share their enthusiasm for the product with their clients,” he added.
Guests of Virtuoso’s Chairman’s Event received a warm welcome during several hosted receptions from the tourism boards representing the destinations on the itinerary. Highlights of the Virtuoso Chairman’s Recognition Event included:
Budapest, Hungary
• Transfers and guided tours of the city provided by Virtuoso preferred supplier, Superior MBZ Travel
• Welcome reception hosted by the Kempinski Hotel Corvinus Budapest
• Embarkation aboard AmaCerto, followed by the Captain’s welcome cocktail reception and dinner
Bratislava, Slovakia
• Afternoon tour of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia
• Private reception hosted by Mrs. Nagyova-Dzerengova, Deputy Mayor of Bratislava, Mr. Dusan Marusak from the Ministry of Transport, and the Bratislava Tourist Board at The Primates Palace, home to the mayor of Bratislava, where Matthew Upchurch was presented with a ceremonial anchor by the Deputy Mayor
Vienna, Austria
• Full-day tour of Vienna, including the Imperial Treasury
• Visits to the Hotel Sacher Wien, Sofitel Stephansdom Hotel and the Hotel Bristol
• Private luncheon and tour of the Fine Arts Museum hosted by Mr. Norbert Kettner, Managing Director of the Vienna Tourist Board and Mr. Paul Frey of the Kunst Historisches Museum
• Exclusive dinner held at the Hotel Imperial and co-hosted by fellow Luxury Collection properties, the Hotel Bristol, Goldener Hirsch Salzburg and Hotel Schloss Fuschl
Dürnstein & Melk, Austria
• Morning walking tour and wine tasting in Dürnstein
• Option of biking tour from Dürnstein to Melk or cruising through the Wachau Valley
• Afternoon tour of the Melk Abbey
Linz, Salzburg & Passau, Austria
• Full-day tour of Salzburg, including a visit to the Hotel Sacher Salzburg, or walking tour of Passau
• Private reception at the Residenz Palace, hosted by the Salzburg Tourism Board
Regensburg, Germany
• Morning cruise along the Danube
• Optional excursions: walking or culinary tours of Regensburg, an Audi production line tour or a biking tour to Walhalla
Nuremberg, Germany
• Morning cruise along the Main-Danube Canal, crossing the Continental Divide
• Optional afternoon tours of Nuremberg’s city center or the famed courtroom 600 where the Nuremberg Trials took place
• Private reception at the Palace of Justice, hosted by Nuremberg’s Second Mayor, Mr. Horst Forther, and Mrs. Yvonne Coulin, Managing Director of the Nuremberg Convention & Tourist Office
• Captain’s farewell cocktail reception and dinner
“Some people were hesitant to attend the event because they were unsure of river cruising,” stated Gary Murphy, Vice President of National Accounts for AmaWaterways. “Now that they’ve experienced the product and all that it has to offer their clients – our included dining options that rival Europe’s best restaurants, the multitude of tours and activities available to passengers at every level, and the opportunity to experience some of the region’s most beautiful, tucked away towns and villages – these Virtuoso agencies and advisors came away with an entirely new appreciation for river cruising.”
Virtuoso rewards its top producing agencies and advisors as well as its most engaged members with a trip befitting of the upscale travel they typically plan. The itinerary allowed these professionals to experience the genuine flavor and style of the destination. Virtuoso’s Chairman’s Recognition Event occurs annually in some of the most exciting, colorful and vibrant locales in the world, most recently China (2011), Kenya (2010), Scotland (2009), India (2008), Prague (2007) and Peru (2006) – and now a European river cruise in 2012.
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About Virtuoso
Virtuoso® is the industry’s leading luxury travel network. This by-invitation-only organization comprises over 340 agencies with more than 7,200 elite travel specialists in 20 countries in North and South America, the Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, as well as over 1,700 of the world’s best travel providers and premier destinations. The network’s member agencies generate over $9.6 billion annually in travel sales, making the group the most powerful in the luxury travel segment. Their relationships with the finest travel companies provide the network’s affluent clientele with exclusive amenities, rare experiences and privileged access. For more information, visit www.virtuoso.com. To view Virtuoso’s latest videos, go to http://www.youtube.com/user/VirtuosoTraveler.
Media Contacts:
Misty Ewing, CTA
Virtuoso – Director, Public Relations
Phone: 202.553.8817
E-mail: mewing@virtuoso.com
VIRTUOSO® CELEBRATES 8th ANNUAL CHAIRMAN’S RECOGNITION EVENT ABOARD AMAWATERWAYS’ AMACERTO