Travel Agents Name Uniworld "Canada's Favourite River Cruise Line"


TORONTO, June 22, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is the proud recipient of the 2015 Baxter Travel Media Agents' Choice Award for "Favourite River Cruise Line." This is the fourth time Uniworld has received this prestigious award, based on votes submitted online by nearly 5,000 Canadian travel professionals. 

Uniworld President Guy Young said he's honoured and delighted that the river cruise line has once again earned such generous accolades from the Canadian travel agent community.  

"While our itineraries and programs are clearly resonating with our guests, this award is really about the relationships we have with our Canadian travel agent partners," Young said. "Travel agents account for almost all of Uniworld's business and they are the foundation of our success. We sincerely appreciate their support and cherish the close partnerships we've established with them."

Travel agents in Ontario, Quebec, Western Canada, and Atlantic regions awarded Uniworld a collective score of 3,136 points this year. The submitted votes recognized the company for its meticulously planned itineraries, enticing destinations, one-of-a-kind ships, gourmet cuisine, and impeccable service, with the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry. 

"We've done a great deal to enhance the guest experience onboard, including going all-inclusive in Europe, with all gratuities and unlimited onboard beverages covered in the cruise fare," Young stated. "We're also continually enhancing Uniworld's onshore program, offering a wide choice of included excursions led by local experts, more active options - such as guided hikes, bike rides, and river kayaking - and more immersive cultural experiences, many offered exclusively to our guests."

Uniworld guests in Europe can tailor their shore excursions with a selection of "Choice Is Yours" options, as well as "Go Active," "Do as the Locals Do," "Village Day" and "Gentle Walking" programs. The line also offers an abundance of once-in-a-lifetime exclusive excursions, ranging from a private cocktail party at a castle with an Austrian princess to rare after-hours access to top historic sites, such as St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy. 

Uniworld offers 38 itineraries in 2016, with cruises operating on 22 rivers in 26 countries throughout Europe, Russia, India, China, Egypt, and Vietnam and Cambodia. 

For more details, please visit uniworldcruises.ca. Join Uniworld's social media community at facebook.com/uniworldrivercruises or twitter.com/uniworldcruises

About Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection

Award-winning Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection - the world's only authentic boutique cruise line(TM) - features luxurious ships with an average capacity of 130 guests, exclusive excursions, gourmet cuisine, gracious hospitality, and the highest staff-to-guest ratio in the river cruise industry. Based in Los Angeles, California, Uniworld offers truly all-inclusive itineraries in Europe, as well as voyages in Russia, India, Asia, and Egypt- a total of 22 rivers in 29 countries worldwide. Recent awards and accolades include:

  • Listed among the "World's Best River Cruises" by Travel + Leisure, and recognized for the "World's Best Service" in the River Cruise category
  • Seven ships listed among Travel + Leisure's "Top 20 River Ships," with River Countess rated highest of all cruise ships (river & ocean) 
  • Distinguished as a Condé Nast Traveler "Platinum Circle Member" (an honor bestowed for being on the prestigious Gold List every year from 2008 - 2014)
  • Top three ranking on Condé Nast Traveler's "Top Ten" list of cruise lines
  • Named "Best Luxury River Cruise Line" by Cruise International (2012 - 2014) 
  • Named "Best Culinary Cruise Line" by readers of SAVEUR (2014)

Uniworld is a member of CLIA, the Cruise Lines International Association.

About The TreadRight Foundation

Created as a joint initiative between The Travel Corporation's family of brands, The TreadRight Foundation is a not-for-profit that works to help ensure the environments and communities we visit remain vibrant and preserved for generations to come. To date, TreadRight has donated more than $2.5 million to sustainable tourism projects worldwide. Uniworld is proud to be an active founder and supporter of TreadRight's projects and work.

TreadRight's guiding principle is to encourage sustainable tourism development through conservation, leadership, and support for communities. We encourage each of our partners to use this principle to guide all their actions, whether at our regional offices or when taking guests around the world. By providing grants to organizations that encourage sustainability in different destinations, we hope to maintain the natural attractions across the world that define each region. Foundation priorities are set by the Steering Committee, which includes sustainability leaders such as Céline Cousteau and Costas Christ. To learn more about our past and current work at TreadRight, please visit TreadRight.org.

Media Contacts:

Winston Ma
PR & Digital Media Specialist
The Travel Corporation
winston.ma@travcorp.ca
(416) 322-8468 ext. 7294

Marie Anne MacRae
Global VP, Strategic Partnerships
The Travel Corporation
marieanne.macrae@travcorp.ca
(416) 915-7016

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