ruise editor Rebecca Tobin talked with
Uniworld CEO Serba Ilich about the appeal of Europe river cruising
and the direction the line is taking.
Travel Weekly:How did 2002 shape up for
Uniworld?
Ilich: It turned out to be a very good year for
us. After Sept. 11, we planned to be down 20% to 30% this year
compared with 2001. We are going to be 11% ahead of last year in
overall sales. And our advance bookings are fantastic.
The occupancy of our ships improved by a couple of percentage
points. We would like to push it to 100%.
We had all kinds of concerns. I know there are many tour
operators that are down substantially. We are lucky.
TW:Why do you think Uniworld was
"lucky"?
Ilich: I believe there are two reasons. One is
that about 60% to 65% of our business now is river cruises. Perhaps
that particular segment is growing more than the travel industry as
a whole; perhaps it's perceived as safer.
We also detect a polarization that travel agents and clients are
leery of booking marginal companies.
Last year, we saw the bankruptcies of Renaissance and Kingdom
Vacations. We've been in the business for 27 years.
TW:You said river cruising is
perceived as safer. Why would that be?
Ilich: I think we are more insulated. This is a
guess.
Here you have only one check-in. You're in small quarters.
You're feeling comfortable. You're not on a 2,000-passenger ship or
a big hotel ... [wondering] whom you will meet in the hallway.
On a motorcoach [tour], you check in and out of hotels five or
six times. Or you're in a train station.
TW:What is new on your cruise
ships?
Ilich: We introduced a number of things this
year. First, our ships have magnetic key cards. You swipe it every
time you get on board, so we keep track of who is on board. That
provides a safety issue.
We have an Internet corner, or cafe, where passengers can check
their e-mail. It's used around the clock. A few years ago, nobody
could imagine such a thing on a cruise ship.
We are introducing the Clearvoice Audio Program with our
Christmas market cruises. At the major attractions where there are
groups in many languages, you strain to hear your guide.
Our guests will have a small [receiver] in their pocket and this
little headset. They can hear the guide up to 300 feet away. We
will have that on all of our ships; we will not charge [for
it].
TW:Who's idea was that?
Ilich: It was my idea. Every once and awhile I
go [on a Uniworld cruise]. And you're at the back of the group and
you're straining [to hear]. Finally, you give up and start
wandering on your own.
We are investing more than a million dollars into [the
ClearVoice program]. Each ship will have a couple hundred headsets.
But investing in quality is a good investment.
TW:Uniworld introduced Global River
Cruises (GRC) as its river-cruise subsidiary earlier this year. But
you're still marketing your cruises as being on "Uniworld ships."
Will you rebrand your ships and brochures?
Ilich: Global River Cruises we own 100%. We
still are saying in the brochure "Uniworld ships" because nobody
knows about GRC. We did not quite explain the concept of Global
River ... and we don't want to confuse anybody.
Eventually, yes, we will [rebrand the ships]. But it will take
awhile, probably several years.
TW:Uniworld will bring out two new ships
in 2003. Can you tell us about them?
Ilich: The ships will be identical to the River
Empress. And, for 2004, we are building four new ships.
We are gradually phasing out the ships we charter and replacing
them with ships we will own. Global River Cruises has 16 ships
under its ownership and long-term lease. Next year, we are ending
two ships' five-year leases.
TW:Are you introducing any routes in
2003?
Ilich: We are reintroducing Budapest to the
Black Sea, sailing through Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. We have
only six [of those cruises] next year, and we hopefully will grow
that in 2004.
This is an area that was not traveled during the turmoil in the
Balkans.The cities are really different than the ports along the
Rhine.