About Riviera Tour
"Nothing so clouds a man's mind as a long journey without an important task"
Egyptian Sinuhet
Dear friends of cruises,
In 1675, the Aponte family welcomed the first passengers aboard their ships. Since then, not only their fleet of ships has grown, but more importantly their experience. Today, MSC Cruises is proud to be the largest private cruise company in the world. It is our greatest wish that our guests on cruises with this company enjoy their stay on board in every way, that they feel comfortable, that they experience the moments that make life special, and that they savour each and every one of them. We want to offer you journeys to interesting places and destinations, so that together with us you have the opportunity to discover the beauty of this world. If you are looking for a cruise at the cheapest price, you may not find it with us. We give added value to our cruises in the form of service, client care, delegates, excursions, benefits and many other extra services that our clients will appreciate during the cruise, which of course will be reflected in the price of the trip;
This is why we have built up a travel agency that is the market leader in cruises at sea for almost 20 years. In 2019, Riviera Tour was awarded as the best MSC Cruises group seller for EMM MARKET, three years earlier it became the best MSC Cruises group seller for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria. It has held solvency certificates since 2014, and in 2017 we were even awarded a Class "AA" certificate, placing us among a small group of companies with high credibility. Our client reviews speak for our services. Although we are now the market leaders in the cruise industry in the Czech Republic, we treat all our clients with absolute respect and humility, because it is our loyal clients that we owe a huge debt of gratitude for what we have achieved.
With great respect, Hanka and Pavel ČÍŽOVI
History of Riviera Tour
The origins of Riviera Tour CK date back to 1992. Pavel Číž and his wife Hana started their private business then, and later they started a small travel agency, which gradually gained experience not only in selling tours of other travel agencies, but especially in direct contact with clients. Each travel agency has its own rules and conditions, so these years have been a huge lesson for us in what can be done well and vice versa, what clients miss and what they would welcome as good service. We then used this wealth of experience to create and reorganize Riviera Tour. The very idea of selling cruises at sea, which at that time represented an almost exotic holiday for our clients, came from a family background. The service, experience and gastronomy on cruises was what had been missing on the Czech market until then. Our first right decision was that we didn't want to just sell cruises, but that we wanted to add service value to them. The second very important decision was that we started to provide these services only in cooperation with one cruise company. Our choice at that time was MSC Cruises and today we know that it was indeed the right decision.
Our history in data:
2005
Establishment of a travel agency, which within a short period becomes a seller of exotic tours for companies and entrepreneurs in the Czech Republic;
2008
Start of sales of cruises at sea and transformation into a travel agency.
2009
The company, through its managing director, establishes the company DŮM U SLUNCE s.r.o. dedicated to real estate and advertising activities. The company purchases non-residential premises for the purpose of further lease.
2010
Testing the cruise project with transportation and a delegate on MSC Cruises.
2011
As a result, Riviera Tour is the first travel agency to start selling "cruises with transport and delegate". In the same year, it publishes the first cruise catalogue and creates a web presence.
2012-2014
The company is actively promoting MSC Cruises, gradually gaining sales representation in the market and creating new sales outlets. During this period, Riviera Tour has partnered with approximately 890 commission sales partners in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
2014
After the audit, Riviera Tour receives a Class "A" trust rating certificate.
2015
Establishment of its own bus transport industry to improve the quality of service to clients and convenient transportation of clients to the port. This service is highly exclusive and to date Riviera Tour is the only company in the Czech Republic and Slovakia that provides transport to the port by its own bus transport. At the same time, it is expanding its sales representation - its sales team now consists of 1,127 sales outlets throughout the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
2016
Riviera Tour wins the award for Best MSC Cruises Group Salesperson for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria and is registered in the Solvent Companies Register 2016. It is also creating a new web presence and expanding very significantly in the cruise market. It is trying to present the cruises and services of MSC Cruises in a very detailed and high-quality way on its website. It is now preparing a campaign to expand the awareness of cruises in the media market. Through its managing director, it establishes the company NA FORMANCE s.r.o. dedicated to catering services, buys new real estate in order to build a restaurant and create a new company headquarters.
2017
Following an audit, Riviera Tour has been awarded a high credibility rating of "AA", which places it in a highly exclusive group of companies that meet the most stringent economic evaluation criteria. At the same time, it receives registration in the Register of Solvent Companies 2017. It introduces a new booking and accounting system, publishes catalogues, very actively presents its services in the media, writes articles, creates advertising campaigns, including activities on Facebook and Instagram. The company is achieving a year-on-year increase in sales of over 38%.
2018
Riviera Tour stabilizes its position on the market, focusing primarily on the quality of services delivered to clients. It is also adjusting its sales strategy for the future, which is to be newly focused primarily on a high quality sales network and the quality of services delivered. This year, sales are planned to increase by only about 8-10% due to the stabilization of the company, preparation for further investments and the planned business strategy for 2019. The company is purchasing new high-quality buses and improving its fleet, switching to a new booking and accounting system with data backup and transforming the sales network in response to the new GDPR rules and the new Tourism Act. Despite the original plan to increase sales by around 10%, sales have increased by 29%, for which Riviera Tour has also won an award from MSC Cruises.
2019
Riviera Tour has decided to expand into the self-drive cruise market, where there have been very large reserves so far. It is preparing to activate online booking of cruises and their search in the Czech language. This service is the first in the MSC cruise market in the Czech Republic. Projected revenue growth of up to 21%. The company has annual sales of over 100 million CZK and is becoming the market leader in the cruise market in the Czech Republic and Slovakia and the largest seller of group cruises in Central Europe. At the same time, the company has been awarded the prestigious Bisnode Top Rating certification, according to which it has stood at the highest possible risk factor rating of 1 for the last 12 months.
2020
After a great start to the season, a blow comes in the form of the Covid-19 pandemic, which stops tourism and the travel agency gradually cancels the already concluded contracts and agreements worth over 80 million crowns. With the help of the sister companies of the RIVIERA GROUP, Riviera Tour manages to stabilize the situation with great effort.
2021
Riviera Tour, in collaboration with MSC Cruises, is creating a special protocol for pandemic cruises and is the first travel agency in Europe to launch the option of traveling and vacationing even under strict pandemic measures. For this activity, it receives a special award from MSC Cruises.
2022
The company is returning to the open cruise market and has been at the forefront of MSC Cruises' most successful cruise sales since its inception. The company has been able to stabilize after Covid and reports a record number of cruise contracts in November 2022, the highest in its history.
2023
The Riviera Tour is making a comeback and beating year-over-year sales. It is preparing new programs and expanding its team with new members. Rivera tour wins a prestigious award at the HOLIDAY WORLD travel trade fair in Prague for the most eye-catching exhibition stand and also receives the prestigious award as the best group cruise seller again from Angelo Capurro, CEO of MSC CRUISES;
Why go on a cruise with Riviera Tour?
We are the only travel agency in the Czech Republic that specializes in the services of only one cruise company. This very narrow specialization provides our clients with the perfect MSC Cruises service.
We can handle everything you need directly from boarding passes, to carefully crafted departure instructions, to detailed destinations, to English-language menus, to resolving a claim for damaged luggage. We know all the ships personally, so we can advise you on the choice of ship category, cabin, dining options, use of various discounts, packages and so on.
We are the authorized and largest seller of MSC Cruises with transportation and delegate for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Our prices for cruises with private transportation are direct MSC Cruises prices, without any commercial surcharge. Our profit is paid directly by MSC Cruises.
We provide transportation to and from the port from all over the Czech Republic with our own buses. The drivers of our buses are our employees.
We are a family run travel agency. Our concern for each client is truly sincere. We strive to create the best conditions for each client within the limits of their vacation. The delegates on the cruises are Riviera Tour's tribal employees, including the owner of the CK. We do not hire temps or students for delegate positions.
We are a travel agency that has our own website linked directly to the MSC Cruises database. On our website you can not only find direct prices of the cruise company converted to Czech crowns, but you can also check the current prices and available capacities of the cruise company. During the online booking you can add discount packages and bundles, parking in the port or health insurance. Booking with the online system is fast, convenient and easy. Within two minutes, you can purchase a cruise with a direct booking order with MSC Cruises.
