Unless you’ve had your head in the sand for the past few years, you know that river cruising is the travel industry’s hottest segment. There are plenty of new ships and itineraries in Europe but also in the U.S. heartland and the Pacific Northwest. River cruising is booming on the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia, and there are several new entrants in Myanmar. (For specifics, turn to page 36.)

“The river cruise segment continues to grow by leaps and bounds, with demand outpacing supply for peak-season dates across the majority of our products,” says Cristienne De Souza, director of national account sales for AmaWaterways.

If you haven’t sold many river cruises, know that a river cruise results in higher commissions and happy clients. So this month, as the peak river cruise season gets underway in Europe, we offer some advice on how you can start selling river cruises or increase your sales even more.

Educate yourself. Most river cruise lines want strong travel agent relationships and do whatever they can to help you sell more of their products. Most lines offer in-depth online training programs, as well as webinars and face-to-face seminars and presentations at agent conferences.