Scenic Sets Its Sights On The Young And Active River Cruiser

A rendering of the Scenic Eclipse’s Penthouse Suite Terrace. 

In a move designed to attract a growing base of travelers looking for safe adventure, Scenic is gearing up for the release of its first ultra-luxury mega yacht, the Scenic Eclipse, in 2018. But in the meantime, it is taking many smaller steps to reach out to more active travelers of a younger demographic.

The Eclipse will surely make a big splash when it hits the water on Aug. 31, 2018, with 114 veranda suites, sailing to the Americas, Antarctica, Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Arctic. It will feature two on-board helicopters and a seven-seat submarine, allowing guests to access places most river boats cannot reach.  

But Scenic is seeing younger travelers interested in river cruising this summer and next as well.

“Our ships are very contemporary, very comfortable—and we are seeing the growth of intergenerational groups in a very profound way,” said Jeannie Kutz, regional manager for the northeastern United States, at a luncheon for travel agents in Connecticut last week. And that market in particular loves getting up close and personal with unique experiences.

To that end, Scenic offers patented handheld devices loaded with 120 pre-planned tours, so each group can follow the tour of its choice when the ships are docked. The 16-stop Jewish Heritage tour, for example, is popular with family groups seeking to visit their European roots; a wine-themed tour will work great with the oenophiles expected to tour the Douro in Portugal  this summer.

And of course the devices also are great for just looking up the sites passing by on the river, Kutz noted. “When you see a castle, you just press a button and it gives you the history.”

Beyond the intergenerational group, Scenic also is attracting younger and more active travelers with its less-expensive Emerald Waterways brand. Where the average age on a Scenic cruise is 55+, the Emerald demographic is about 10 years younger, Kutz said.  

Privately-owned Scenic generally gets about 40% of its customers from its native Australia, 20%-30% from the United States, and another 20%-30% from the U.K. and Canada. U.S. business is down slightly this year, Kutz acknowledged—the only market sector that seems to be impacted by fear of terrorism in Europe.

But overall, she noted, the growth of a younger customer base has become so noticeable that “I’m wondering how long it will take a river cruise company to target the 20-30-year-old demographic.”  

Meanwhile, Scenic is having its own growth spurt. Emerald will be adding three more ships, nearly doubling its fleet from the current four. And Scenic’s newest itinerary, its first in Portugal and Spain, departs Oct. 13. It’s on the Scenic Azure, which was specially designed to navigate the smaller locks of the Douro River, and was named one of the “10 Best New River Cruise Ships of 2016” by the London Telegraph.