Riviera Travel celebrates 40 years

Guests including travel agents, journalists and supplier partners celebrated the milestone birthday onboard the 140-passenger Jane Austen, as she made two short cruises over consecutive days on the Seine via the Eiffel Tower. Guests also experienced a shore excursion to the Atelier des Lumières digital art centre.

France was Riviera’s first destination when the operator launched in 1984, with founder Michael Wright taking guests on a coach and camping tour of southern France.

The Burton-based business now offers almost 1,000 departures each year for nearly 100,000 guests, covering 65 countries and all seven continents.

Phil Hullah, Riviera Travel’s CEO, said: “It’s been wonderful to celebrate 40 years with so many of the people who made our success possible.

“I’d like to pay tribute to everyone who has supported us over the years, which of course includes our fantastic travel agent partners, to help make us the largest UK-based escorted tour and river cruise operator in the UK and Ireland."

He continued: "While we’re incredibly proud of everything we’ve achieved, we’re determined not to rest on our laurels, and have ambitious plans in place to continue growing."

Over the years, we've helped hundreds of thousands of guests explore the world, ticking off their bucket lists and ensuring they can enjoy everything Europe and destinations all over the world have to offer. We will continue to visit well-loved locations, as well as branching out to even more places across the globe."

The operator is set to add two ships, Riviera Radiance and Riviera Rose, to its fleet in 2025. They will sail on the Danube and Douro respectively.