Yachting Art Magazine

The way river cruises are booked is changing. Faced with increasingly unpredictable behaviour, Nicols is reviewing its packages and methods to meet its customers' expectations for flexibility and freedom.

Travellers' booking habits have changed significantly in recent years, a phenomenon that Nicols, a specialist in licence-free boat hire, has been observing closely. Whereas German-speaking customers used to plan their holidays almost a year in advance, French customers would book after the holidays and Latin customers at the last minute, traditional patterns are now tending to disappear.

The current trend shows a clear decline in advance bookings. Nowadays, more and more holidaymakers are waiting until the last minute to make up their minds, whether for reasons related to their holiday schedule, a desire to improvise or to find last-minute deals. This trend is affecting both younger generations and more traditional profiles.

To adapt to this new situation, Nicols has expanded its offerings. Holidays can start on six days out of seven and last from two days to more than two weeks, allowing everyone to tailor their trip to suit their availability. This flexibility applies to both the days of departure and the packages on offer.

At the same time, communication is also evolving: the aim is to make customers aware of the advantages of booking early, highlighting the choice of boats and destinations as well as access to more attractive prices. Nicols is thus seeking to combine flexibility and organisation in a rapidly changing market.