Riviera Travel convened its inaugural North American Agent Advisory Board meeting on September 23 at the company's U.S. headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The meeting brought together a select group of travel advisors to provide guidance on the river cruise line's expansion strategy in the region.
The advisory board includes Jenn Lee, president of TPI; Tara Minson, president of InteleTravel; Bill Coyle, vice president of agent engagement at KHM; Drew Daly, senior vice president and general manager of Dream Vacations/World Travel Holdings; Eric Maryanov, owner and president of All-Travel; and Anthony Hamawy, president of Cruise.com.
The advisors met with Riviera Travel's executive team, including Phil Hullah, chief executive officer; Stuart Milan, president of North America; Marilyn Conroy, executive vice president of business development; and Eric Schmit, vice president of sales for North America. The meeting concluded with a cocktail reception and dinner.
"Over the past 40 years, collaboration with the travel advisor community has been a central part of Riviera Travel's success, and as we expand our river cruise product — with a laser target on gaining North American market share — we are certainly more committed to our partners than ever," said Stuart Milan, president of North America for Riviera Travel. "The new advisory board was launched to demonstrate just how important this group is to our business and give our executive team the chance to listen and learn, gaining valuable insights and identifying new ways to continue forward on our path of innovation and growth."
During the meeting, the group discussed Riviera's performance in 2025 and the North American market outlook. The advisory board also reviewed new trade support tools, including the company's new website and Riviera Explorer, a digital training platform. The leadership team shared information about upcoming technology enhancements, including API integrations with Revelex, Odysseus and VacationPort.
Product developments highlighted at the gathering included the launch of a dedicated solo vessel and a Mekong riverboat, Riviera Alba. Plans to expand the sales team with new regional sales directors, strengthen the inside sales department and build out support functions across reservations and customer service were also addressed.
Riviera Travel positions itself as North America's only all-inclusive premier river cruise line. The company reports that North American operations are on track to achieve more than 80% growth this year.
"It is awesome that Riviera has launched an advisory board to learn more about North American consumers from the travel advisor community," said Daly of Dream Vacation/World Travel Holdings. "As a member of the board, I am honored to contribute and provide Riviera with feedback so they can enhance their value proposition to North American consumers. Our time together was collaborative, informative and exciting to learn about the future growth for the brand."
Editor’s Note: This article was generated by AI, based on a press release distributed by Riviera Travel. It was fact-checked and reviewed by a TravelAge West editor.
