Murphy and MD Australia and New Zealand Steve Richards, who set up the office six weeks ago, hosted a celebration Champagne party for media and travel agents.
First sale
Guest of honour was Barbara Gross of Sabra Travel, Bondi, who made the first sale in Australasia — a back-to-back European river cruise for two costing around $50,000.
Other guests included Daisy Melwani, who recently formed the River Cruise Collective with Avalon Waterways, Tauck, Uniworld and AmaWaterways and Cruise Lines International Association Australasia MD Joel Katz.
River Cruise Showcase
As previously reported, the cooperative will exhibit at the River Cruise Showcase on August 29 ahead of the official welcome cocktail party for delegates attending Cruise360 2024 in Sydney on August 30.
‘AmaWaterways has been in operation for over two decades, but we have just launched in the Australian and New Zealand markets, so we’re incredibly excited to partner with the River Cruise Collective,’ Richards told Seatrade Cruise News.
‘We need a strong partner with innovative ideas to help grow our brand presence in this key market and the River Cruise Collective will help us achieve this,’ he said.