River cruise specialist Uniworld has hinted further expansion is on the cards, beyond the addition of the Queen Isabel and River Orchid to its fleet in 2013.
General manager John Molinaro said he was not ready to disclose details, revealing only that further expansion “could be in 2013”.
“We have considerably expanded in a short amount of time,” he told Travel Today. “But we continue to look at opportunities. If an opportunity is there, we will grab it.”
Molinaro said its new Vietnam cruises, introduced this year, were performing well, although it needs to continue to grow awareness of the product.
But with the new River Orchid to join sister ship River Saigon on the Mekong River in 2012, it was “so far so good”, Molinaro said.
Meanwhile, he claimed overall “good growth” over the last 12 months following a “very big year last year”.
Although Amsterdam and Budapest itineraries remain popular, Australians are “now looking for new places and new rivers”, Uniworld said.
Egypt product was still going through “tough times”, Molinaro admitted, but he stressed the operator would not cut product and was optimistic about prospects after the elections.
Uniworld will launch its 2013 Boutique River Cruises brochure in early to mid-July following last month’s preview launch.
