Travel agency Mittelthurgau

What Travel agency Mittelthurgau does

Reisebüro Mittelthurgau Fluss- und Kreuzfahrten AG is a Swiss cruise-specialist travel agency headquartered in Weinfelden, Thurgau, and the cruise-operating brand within the privately held Twerenbold Reisen Gruppe, a diversified family-owned Swiss travel conglomerate founded in 1895 and now in its fourth generation under Chairman Karim Twerenbold. CEO Stephan Frei leads the Mittelthurgau entity. The company serves approximately 100,000 guests annually across the group's five brands, with Mittelthurgau positioned as the cruise-focused flagship, primarily addressing Swiss affluent leisure travelers seeking river and ocean cruise experiences.

The company operates a proprietary fleet of 10+ Excellence river cruise ships (Swiss-flagged) plus the Excellence Nera yacht in the Croatian Adriatic, sailing European waterways including the Danube, Rhine, Main, Moselle, Seine, Rhône, and Saône. Technical differentiation centers on Clean Air Technology (SCR catalytic converter combined with DPF diesel particulate filter) first deployed on the 2019 Excellence Empress, reducing NOx by at least 75% and particulate matter by over 90%, and the 2025 Excellence Crown, a diesel-electric hybrid river liner with photovoltaic panels and battery storage built at Concordia Damen in the Netherlands. The Premium Inclusive Package bundles cabin, gourmet meals, shore excursions (Mittendrin program), port transfers, and climate compensation. The product portfolio is augmented by Allianz travel insurance, gift vouchers, an online Bordmanifest check-in system, and curated catalogs.

Revenue mechanics combine B2C cruise package sales (own-brand Excellence plus third-party cruise operator resales, including ocean cruises and Egyptian Nile / Portuguese Douro / worldwide itineraries), commission and margin on third-party bookings (airline tickets, hotels, insurance), and group/tailor-made tour operating. Distribution is primarily phone-based inside sales (+41 71 626 85 85, Mon-Fri 08:30-17:30), supplemented by the direct website mittelthurgau.ch, the Twerenbold Travel Lounge in Zürich (covering all five group brands), and a B2B trade catalog portal. The Excellence Reiseclub loyalty program operates three tiers (Excellence at CHF 135/year, Royal and Ambassador at free lifetime tiers tied to repeat-travel thresholds), reinforcing repeat bookings. Pricing is denominated in Swiss Francs and varies by itinerary, cabin, and season.

Name

Travel agency Mittelthurgau

Legal name

Reisebüro Mittelthurgau Fluss- und Kreuzfahrten AG

Website

https://mittelthurgau.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1895

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Reisebüro Mittelthurgau is a Swiss family-owned cruise specialist (founded 1895, 4th generation) operating within the Twerenbold Reisen Gruppe, offering premium river cruises across Europe, worldwide ocean cruises, and Croatian Adriatic yacht cruises via its proprietary 10+ ship Excellence fleet.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cruise Travel Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (561520), Deep Sea Passenger Transportation (483112), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (4872)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

River Cruise Booking & Distribution (Direct/Agents/OTAs) (THAEACAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Cruise Specialists (Mainstream/Contemporary) (THAKAKAG), River Cruise + Land Tour Packages (Cruisetours) (THAEACAK), Island, Beach & Resort Travel Agencies (THAKAFAL)

Keywords

• River cruises
• Ocean cruises
• Luxury travel
• Yacht cruises
• Travel agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Weinfelden

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cruise Package Sales (B2C): Revenue generated from selling packaged river and ocean cruise itineraries directly to individual consumers. Includes own-brand Excellence Flussliner packages plus third-party cruise operator arrangements. Packages encompass ship cabin, onboard meals, shore excursions, and port-to-port transfers.
2. Tour Operating and Travel Arrangement Services: As a full-service travel agency and tour operator, Mittelthurgau earns commissions and margins on third-party cruise bookings, airline tickets, hotel accommodations, travel insurance, and ancillary services. The company also offers group travel organization and tailor-made itinerary planning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Reisebüro Mittelthurgau Fluss- und Kreuzfahrten AG is a Swiss travel agency and tour operator that sells and operates river and ocean cruise packages under its Excellence Cruises brand. It owns and operates a fleet of 10+ Swiss-flagged river ships sailing European waterways, supplemented by a Croatian Adriatic yacht and curated third-party ocean cruise, flight, and hotel arrangements. Offerings include themed river cruises, escorted cruises, yacht cruises, a tiered Excellence Reiseclub loyalty program, Allianz travel insurance, gift vouchers, and a Premium Inclusive all-in package.

Product overview

Reisebüro Mittelthurgau Fluss- und Kreuzfahrten AG operates as a Swiss cruise specialist under the Twerenbold Reisen Gruppe (founded 1895). The company offers a unified platform combining its proprietary Excellence Cruises river fleet with curated worldwide ocean cruise partnerships. Excellence Cruises serves as the flagship sub-brand featuring 10 Swiss-flagged river ships ('small Swiss grand hotels') across European rivers including Danube, Rhine, Main, Moselle, Seine, Rhône, and Saône, plus the Excellence Nera yacht in Croatia's Adriatic. The portfolio is augmented by the Excellence Reiseclub loyalty program, travel insurance partnerships, online check-in (Bordmanifest), gift vouchers, and catalog services. The company positions itself around Swiss Quality with Premium-Inklusivpaket pricing and sustainability leadership (hybrid ships, Clean Air Technology).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Excellence Cruises: Swiss family-owned river cruise fleet operating on European waterways, featuring elegant river liners with premium amenities and sustainable travel experiences.
• Excellence Reiseclub

Products and services

• Excellence Cruises (own river cruise fleet) The company's own river cruise brand operating 10+ Swiss-flagged river ships across European waterways. Offers a 'small Swiss grand hotel' experience with interiors designed by Nazly Twerenbold, Premium Inclusive packages, and Clean Air Technology (SCR + DPF) on five ships and diesel-electric hybrid propulsion on the Excellence Crown.
• Flussreisen (River Cruises worldwide)

Quantifiable outcome

• At least 75% reduction in NOx emissions; over 90% reduction in particulate matter (PM) via Clean Air Technology
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration16 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Concordia Damen Shipyard (Netherlands)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2019Dutch shipyard that built the Excellence Empress (2019) and Excellence Crown (2025). The Empress was developed with Teamco Shipyard; the Crown was built at Concordia Damen in Werkendam, Netherlands. Partnership enabled development of the world's first diesel-electric hybrid passenger river cruise ship.
• Clean River Project e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit association raising awareness about plastic pollution in rivers. Clean River Project representatives are hosted aboard Excellence ships to present their projects to passengers, and the company provides financial support. Joint environmental mission aligns with Excellence's sustainability strategy.
• Rewilding EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Rewilding Europe on Danube Delta conservation projects, including expansion of protected zones and renaturalization of delta areas. Part of the Werner Twerenbold Foundation's social and ecological commitment.
• Stiftung HofackerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation in Weinfelden TG supporting adults with intellectual and/or physical disabilities through housing support and day programs. Mittelthurgau supports the foundation as part of its social sustainability commitment.
• Nautilus InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaritime trade union awarding the 'Fair Cruise Work' quality seal to Excellence Cruises, recognizing fair and transparent working conditions for crew on European river vessels based on Swiss employment contracts and GAV.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Tauck: Family-owned guided tour and small-ship cruise operator with a strong river cruise product on European waterways. Directly comparable premium escorted-cruise product (similar to Mittelthurgau's Begleitete Kreuzfahrten) and family-ownership heritage.
• Viking Cruises: World's largest river cruise operator and the dominant direct competitor in European river cruising. Operates a fleet of 80+ river ships and offers ocean cruises. Comparable in product mix (river + ocean) and premium inclusive positioning, though at significantly larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Uniworld Boutique River Cruises: Boutique luxury river cruise operator with a fleet of uniquely styled ships across Europe. Comparable premium-inclusive positioning and small-ship experience model; targets a similar affluent 50+ demographic.
• Crystal River Cruises: Ultra-luxury river cruise line (formerly part of Genting, now under A&K). Operates a small fleet of high-end river ships targeting affluent travelers; comparable to Excellence's premium-inclusive positioning though at a higher price point.
• Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours: Australian-founded luxury river cruise operator with a fleet of 15+ Space-Ships across Europe and Southeast Asia, plus ocean cruises (Emerald Cruises). Premium all-inclusive positioning and German-speaking market presence closely parallel Mittelthurgau's Excellence model.
• A-Rosa Cruises: German-speaking market river cruise operator with 13+ ships on Rhine, Danube, and other European rivers. Family-friendly positioning and ownership by the E-Rosaner family make it a close cultural and market analogue to Mittelthurgau's Swiss heritage model.
• Avalon Waterways: Globus family of brands river cruise line operating Suite Ships across European rivers. Directly comparable fleet size, itinerary coverage (Danube, Rhine, Rhône, Main), and inclusion of cruise + land extensions in North American and European markets.
• Amadeus River Cruises (Lueftner Cruises): Austrian family-owned river cruise operator (Lueftner Group) with a fleet of 15+ Amadeus ships across Europe. Similar heritage model, German-speaking market focus, and all-inclusive product structure to Excellence Cruises.

Broad incumbents

• Hurtigruten Group: Norwegian expedition and coastal voyage cruise operator with sustainability positioning similar to Excellence. Broader portfolio including expedition cruises, broader geographic reach, and publicly-listed parent make it a broader incumbent peer rather than direct European-river competitor.
• TUI Cruises: German-language joint venture (TUI/Royal Caribbean) ocean cruise operator with Mein Schiff fleet. Competes for the same German-speaking market Mittelthurgau serves but with ocean-only cruises; larger scale and broader European distribution.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/excellence-reisebuero-mittelthurgau

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Travel agency Mittelthurgau