About us - CK Riviera Tour
"Nothing so deceives the mind of man as a long journey without an important task" Egyptian Sinuhet
Dear friends of sightseeing cruises,
In 1675, the Aponte family welcomed the first passengers aboard their ships. Since then, not only the fleet of ships has grown, but especially their experience. Today, their cruise company MSC Cruises can be 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 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 a host of other extra services that our clients will appreciate during the cruise, which will of course be reflected in the price of the trip.
This is why we have built a travel agency that is the market leader in cruises for almost 20 years. Riviera Tour has been awarded the Best MSC Cruises Group Salesperson for EMM MARKET in 2019 and 2023 (more here), and three years earlier became the Best MSC Cruises Group Salesperson 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, which puts us in a small group of companies with high credibility. Our services are also reflected in client reviews. Although we are today 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 who deserve our enormous thanks for what we have achieved.
Historie CK 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 into a travel agency.
The very idea of selling cruises at sea, which at that time represented an almost exotic holiday for our clients, came from a family environment.Services, experiences and gastronomy on cruises was what was missing on the Czech market so far. Our first decision was that we did not want to just sell cruises, but that we wanted to add value to services. 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 really the right decision.
Our history in data:
1992: Starting a business on FO
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: beginning 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 delegate on MSC Cruises.
2011: the project's certification, Riviera Tour is therefore the first travel agency to start selling "cruises with transport and delegate". In the same year, it publishes its 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: Riviera Tour receives a Class "A" trustworthiness rating certificate after an audit.
2015: Establishment of our own bus transport industry to improve client service 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 service. At the same time, it is expanding its sales representation - throughout the Czech Republic and Slovakia, its sales team now consists of 1,127 sales outlets.
2016: Riviera Tour wins the Best MSC Cruises Group Salesperson for the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria award 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. On its website, it is trying to present the cruises and services of MSC Cruises in a very detailed and high-quality way. 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 for the construction of a restaurant and the creation of a new company headquarters.
2017: Riviera Tour receives the High Trust Rating Class AA certificate after an audit, which places it in a highly exclusive group of companies that meet the most stringent economic evaluation criteria. At the same time, it is registered in the Solvent Companies Register 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 achieves 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. The company is also adjusting its sales strategy for the future, which is to be newly focused 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%, the company managed to increase sales by 29%, for which Riviera Tour was also awarded by 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 cruise booking and search in 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 of 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 partnership with MSC Cruises, creates a special protocol for pandemic cruises and is the first tour operator in Europe to launch the option to travel and holiday even under strict pandemic measures. This activity earns MSC Cruises a special award.
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: RIVIERA TOUR announces a meteoric return to the cruise market, with sales exceeding those in the pre-covid era. In October, it takes home the prestigious award for Best Emerging Markets Group (EMM) Salesperson of 2023(more here). At the tourism exhibition HOLIDAY WORLD in Prague, we win the award for best exhibition of the fair. RIVIERA TOUR is expanding significantly in 2023, moving into new offices and also preparing new projects in cooperation with Explora Journeys, a subsidiary of MSC Group.
2024: In February 2024 RIVIERA TOUR will host a training and representative ball, Sailor's Evening, at which it will announce the creation of the subsidiary Riviera Journeys, which from that moment on specializes in luxury cruises and becomes an ambassador of EXPLORA JOURNEYS.
It also introduces a brand new website for individual and luxury cruises. It is participating in the HOLIDAY WORLD tourism fair in Prague and at the IFT SLOVAKIATOUR trade fair in Bratislava, where it presents new projects. It also expands charity and philanthropic projects, which it organizes in cooperation with Diakonia ČCE Vsetín (more here).
Then in October, Riviera Tour won the award for the fourth time for MSC Cruises' Best Group Cruise Salesperson for 2024 in the market covering Central and Eastern Europe, North Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East (EMM).
Present: News, articles, awards, RIVIERA TOUR history
Why go on a cruise with Riviera Tour?
* we are the only travel agency in the Czech Republic that specializes in the services and services of only one cruise company. This very narrow specialization provides our clients with perfect service of MSC Cruises.
* directly with us you can arrange everything you need, from boarding passes, to carefully prepared departure instructions, detailed destinations, to a menu in Czech language or solving 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.
* transport to the port and back from the whole Czech Republic is provided by our own buses. Our bus drivers are our employees.
* we are a family 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 tribal employees of Riviera Tour, including the owner of the CK. We do not hire temporary staff or students for delegate positions.
* We are a travel agency that has its own website linked directly to the MSC Cruises database. On our website you will 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 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.
Download About us - Why Riviera Tour? (pdf EN)