Viking River Cruises Thrives on Boomer Business | Clark Norton (2024)
Viking River Cruise boats glide through Europe. Photo from Viking.
The travel site Skift.com has just named its top 50 global travel marketers for 2013, including the senior vice president for marketing of Viking River Cruises, Rich Marnell.
Little wonder — Marnell was hired in 2007 as Viking’s director of marketing for North America, and since that time Viking’s share of the burgeoning European river cruise market has risen from 20 percent to fifty percent, remarkable considering that competition is getting increasingly fierce.
I’ve written previously about Viking River Cruises’ approach to marketing: a laser-like focus on their target customer — the classic baby boomer.
“What we’ve done is tailored the product experience for the 55+ culturally curious in mind,” Marnell told Skift. “We don’t try to be everything to everyone. For us, we see that as an advantage rather than a disadvantage.”
At a press conference last springthat marked the naming of ten new Viking Longships, based in Amsterdam for plying European rivers, Viking’s chairman and CEO Torstein Hagen was even more blunt. “We have no need whatsoever to say we want some younger people onboard,” Hagen said. “We don’t encourage [inter]generational travel. We market to North Americans, Brits, Australians. Nothing else…It is for people like me who want to have a quiet time and travel with people like myself.”
Hagen identified their target market as “people with some curiosity, who have worked hard and earned some money. They haven’t had time to see these places — and not just see, but experience the culture. They’re grown-up people. They speak English. They are 55-plus.”
Viking claims to have run at more than 96 percent capacity for 2012, and, even in the wake of adding 40 percent more capacity in 2013 with its new Longships, most of Viking’s Europe cabins were already sold out through October by last spring.
In May the company expanded further by launching Viking Ocean Cruises, which will sail in the Baltic and Mediterranean seas. (Read my previous post on boomer-friendly Viking Ocean Cruises here.)
As I noted before, Viking is a prime example of one of the basic rules of marketing: know thy target customers and go after them, single-mindedly. When sales are soft, Hagen said, Viking will employ direct mail, trade ads, Web ads and television.
And it’s worth repeating: they’re targeting one key market: baby boomers. Baby boomers who have money, curiosity, and time to spend on a river cruise in Europe, as well as Russia, Asia and Egypt, which Viking also offers.
While Viking is by no means the most luxurious river cruise line, it delivers a solid product to boomers looking for good value. And it’s working.
This Week’s Travel Quiz
In a recent survey of U.S. travelers, which two hotel amenities and services topped the list as most important to consumers?
Baby boomers who have money, curiosity, and time to spend on a river cruise in Europe, as well as Russia, Asia and Egypt, which Viking
Viking
Viking (formerly Viking Cruises) is a cruise line providing river, ocean, and expedition cruises. Its operating headquarters are in Basel, Switzerland, and its marketing headquarters are in Los Angeles, California.
also offers. While Viking is by no means the most luxurious river cruise line, it delivers a solid product to boomers looking for good value. And it's working.
All Viking products (both river and ocean) are specifically designed to appeal to a niche audience of travelers who are 55 years and older, and the design of Viking Orion follows suit.
All guests must be 18 years old on or before the day they are scheduled to embark on their cruise; we do not maintain facilities or services on board for younger individuals.
Whilst designated as an Upper Premium brand, Viking has all the hallmarks of a Luxury Ocean Cruise Line. From the tastefully appointed, modern, beautifully designed, Scandinavian ships to the luxurious all-inclusive amenities, Viking are recognised as a Luxury Brand within the industry.
Viking has good liquidity including our estimate of cash balances of about $810 million at the end of 2020. Subsequent additions to those cash balances include the planned note issuance, aforementioned equity infusion, and about $165 million of proceeds from the sale of the Viking Sun to a joint venture in China.
Mobility | Many of the tours are interactive, with lots of brisk walking, so I recommend guests have a certain level of mobility available. With that said, there is an easy walking group (more on that below), so people who walk with a cane or walker should have no problem.
The 443-foot-long versions of the ship are designed for 190 passengers, for example, whereas the 410-foot-long versions of the vessels hold 168 passengers (since they have 11 fewer cabins). While most Viking river ships are Longships, there are a few exceptions in the Viking river fleet.
This means that the average age varies by cruise line, itinerary and date. With that said, for at least one cruise line, the average age is 55 years old. Surprised? You won't see any walkers outside the restaurants, you won't see people falling asleep at dinner and you won't see strollers jamming the hallways.
Generally, the average age on a river cruise ship is around 60 so when I saw 36 year-old Holly, I made a bee line to meet my new best friend. Holly is a pharmacist and chose the trip because she appreciated Riviera's shore excursion offerings: “I wanted to take this trip because I really like history.
Viking Cruises is facing a class-action lawsuit from passengers after a harrowing evacuation in high seas in March. A cruise ship operated by the Swiss company suffered an engine failure off the coast of Norway on March 23, leaving more than 1,300 people stranded in rough seas.
Each night, you'll be presented with several tasty options, including vegetarian choices. Windstar also accommodates dietary restrictions – such as food allergies or gluten-free needs – and prepares special menu items for these guests. Dinner in AmphorA is served between 7 PM and 9:30 PM, all open seating.
For a first Viking River cruise in Europe, you can't go wrong with the Danube. The line operates a variety of eight-day segments along the river, allowing you to start or finish in such cities as Amsterdam, Vienna, Budapest or Bucharest.
What is the target market of cruise ships? According to Cruise Critic, cruise ships are generally geared toward adults. Most cruises target retirees, but more and more are looking to reach elder Millennials in their mid-40s.
Now in its 25th year of operation, the Viking river ship fleet has grown from four vessels in 1997 to 79 in 2022. With 51 percent of the overall river cruise market share, the line dominates the river cruise industry in Europe.
Viking's state-of-the-art ships are designed to take you right into the heart of each destination, and with fewer sailing days and more time spent in port, a Viking cruise allows you to immerse yourself in the locations that you love for longer.
Hobby: Web surfing, Rafting, Dowsing, Stand-up comedy, Ghost hunting, Swimming, Amateur radio
Introduction: My name is Virgilio Hermann JD, I am a fine, gifted, beautiful, encouraging, kind, talented, zealous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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