Emerald Cruises & Tours
Emerald Cruises & Tours is a private luxury travel brand under ST Touring Canada Ltd./Scenic Group, operating river cruises on European and Mekong waterways, yacht cruises on Emerald Azzurra and Sakara, and small-group land tours, targeting affluent leisure travelers via direct sales and travel advisors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Emerald Cruises & Tours does
Emerald Cruises & Tours is a privately held luxury travel operator that distributes river cruises, ocean yacht cruises, and small-group land tours under the Scenic Group umbrella. Its Canadian operations are managed by ST Touring Canada Ltd. (Consumer Protection BC #40178) from Vancouver. The river cruise product runs on Star-Ships along the Danube, Rhine, Rhône, Douro, and Mekong, with per-person pricing from CAD $3,917 to CAD $6,477. The yacht product sails on Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara to the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Caribbean, Central America, Red Sea, Seychelles, Indian Ocean, Asia, and Australia & South Pacific, priced from CAD $6,845 to CAD $12,825 per person. Emerald Tours adds small-group land journeys in Canada, Alaska, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Three signature programs — EmeraldACTIVE (active excursions), EmeraldPLUS (included special-interest experiences), and DiscoverMORE (optional premium excursions) — are layered onto all core products, alongside themed sailings such as Christmas market cruises and chef-led culinary voyages (Bonacini Seine, Chanthy Yen Mekong). Supporting infrastructure includes Scenic and Emerald Rewards loyalty, Platinum Protection Plan and Flexible Booking Plan, and a Travel Advisor Hub for travel-agent distribution.
The business model is direct-to-consumer supplemented by an indirect travel-advisor channel. Revenue is generated primarily through point-of-sale cruise and tour bookings with multi-year horizons (2026 through 2029 are currently bookable), plus ancillary streams including private charters, solo no-single-supplement sailings, and group rates. Marketing is multi-channel: a full-service website (emerald.cruises), phone sales, email/newsletter, organic social (Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube), downloadable brochures, and in-person Information Sessions. Affiliations with CLIA, IATA, ACTA, and CARP provide industry credibility and senior-market access. No proprietary technology platform is disclosed, and no AI or ML capabilities are referenced across the input data.
Emerald Cruises & Tours firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Emerald Cruises & Tours
- Legal name
- Emerald Cruises & Tours
- Website
- https://emeraldwaterways.ca
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Emerald Cruises & Tours is a private luxury travel brand under ST Touring Canada Ltd./Scenic Group, operating river cruises on European and Mekong waterways, yacht cruises on Emerald Azzurra and Sakara, and small-group land tours, targeting affluent leisure travelers via direct sales and travel advisors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Emerald Cruises & Tours industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Luxury Cruises and Tours
- NAICS
- Inland Water Passenger Transportation (483212), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721), Tour Operators (561520)
- SIC
- Water Transportation (4400), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury River Cruise Operators (THAEACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Small-Ship Expedition Cruises (Under ~500 Guests) (THAEADAC), Theme & Specialty River Cruises (Culinary/Wellness/Music/etc.) (THAEACAL), River Cruise + Land Tour Packages (Cruisetours) (THAEACAK)
Keywords
Where Emerald Cruises & Tours is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Emerald Cruises & Tours business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- River Cruise Bookings: The company generates revenue primarily through booking luxury river cruises along Europe's iconic rivers (Danube, Rhine, Rhône) and Southeast Asia (Mekong). Pricing ranges from CAD $3,917 to $6,477 per person for river cruises.
- Yacht Cruise Bookings: Revenue is generated through luxury yacht cruise bookings across destinations including Mediterranean, Adriatic, Caribbean, Central America, Red Sea, Seychelles, and Indian Ocean. Yacht cruise pricing ranges from CAD $6,845 to $12,825 per person.
- Land Tour Packages: Emerald Tours offers small-group land journeys across Europe, Canada, Japan, and Southeast Asia, complementing their cruise offerings.
- Private Charters: The company offers private charters for both river ships and yachts, providing exclusive full-boat bookings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Luxury River Cruises - Europe |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Luxury Yacht Cruises - Ocean |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Solo Traveler Offers |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | Group Travel Rates |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Emerald Cruises & Tours product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Emerald Cruises & Tours sells all-inclusive luxury river cruises along Europe's Danube, Rhine, Rhône, and Douro rivers and the Mekong in Southeast Asia aboard Star-Ships, ultra-luxury ocean yacht cruises aboard Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara to destinations including the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Caribbean, Red Sea, Seychelles, Indian Ocean, Asia, and South Pacific, and small-group land journeys through Canada, Alaska, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Pricing is per person and includes accommodation, dining, beverages, and guided excursions, with optional premium excursions and travel protection plans available.
Product overview
Emerald Cruises & Tours operates three interconnected luxury travel brands: Emerald Cruises (luxury river cruising on Star-Ships along Europe's Danube, Rhine, Rhône, and Douro rivers plus Southeast Asia's Mekong), Emerald Yacht Cruises (ultra-luxury ocean yachting aboard Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara to Mediterranean, Caribbean, Red Sea, Seychelles, Asia, and South Pacific), and Emerald Tours (small-group land journeys across Canada, Alaska, Japan, and Southeast Asia). The portfolio is unified by signature experience programs—EmeraldACTIVE for active excursions, EmeraldPLUS for special interest inclusions, and DiscoverMORE for premium optional experiences—that enhance core cruise products. Specialty Journeys including Chef-curated culinary cruises (Bonacini Seine, Chanthy Yen Mekong) and Christmas market sailings provide differentiated themed itineraries. Booking flexibility is supported through Travel Assurance, Platinum Protection Plan, and Flexible Booking options, while Scenic and Emerald Rewards provides loyalty benefits across the brand ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Luxury River Cruises (Europe)
Companies that use Emerald Cruises & Tours
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Emerald Cruises & Tours technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Emerald Cruises & Tours partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Scenic GroupcoreScenic Group is the parent company managing Emerald Cruises' operations. Emerald Cruises operates as a brand within the Scenic Group portfolio, with distribution handled by Scenic, a division of ST Touring Canada Ltd.
- ST Touring Canada Ltd.coreST Touring Canada Ltd. handles the distribution of cruises and tours on the Emerald Cruises website for the Canadian market. Consumer Protection BC #40178.
- CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association)minorEmerald Cruises is affiliated with CLIA, the leading global cruise industry trade association.
- IATA (International Air Transport Association)minorEmerald Cruises maintains IATA accreditation for air travel arrangements.
- ACTA (Association of Canadian Travel Agencies)minorEmerald Cruises is associated with ACTA, the Canadian travel industry association.
- CARP (Canadian Association of Retired Persons)minorEmerald Cruises holds CARP Recommended status, indicating partnership with the Canadian retirement organization for senior traveler outreach.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Emerald Cruises & Tours competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Ponant: French-owned luxury and expedition small-ship cruise line with yacht-class vessels sailing Mediterranean, Caribbean, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean itineraries — overlaps meaningfully with Emerald's yacht destinations and expedition-style positioning.
- Crystal River Cruises: Operates luxury river ships on Europe's Rhine, Main, Danube, and Moselle with butler-service suites and all-inclusive amenities — directly comparable to Emerald's all-inclusive luxury river product.
- Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours: Sister brand within the Scenic Group operating river cruises, ocean voyages (Scenic Eclipse), and tours with overlapping itineraries and target customers; the closest internal competitor sharing Emerald's parent infrastructure.
- Viking River Cruises: Operates the largest fleet of luxury river cruise ships in Europe and on the Mekong, with similar all-inclusive, destination-focused itineraries targeting affluent English-speaking travelers — Emerald's most direct river-cruise competitor.
- Uniworld Boutique River Cruises: Ultra-luxury river cruise line offering all-inclusive sailings across Europe, Russia, Egypt, and Asia with boutique-ship design — competes head-to-head with Emerald's luxury river positioning and Mekong itineraries.
- AmaWaterways: Family-owned river cruise line sailing Europe's Danube, Rhine, Rhône, and Douro with comparable all-inclusive inclusions, active-excursion programs, and luxury pricing — directly competes with Emerald's European river product.
- Tauck River Cruises: Premium river cruises paired with guided land touring on Europe's rivers — a direct comparable given Emerald's combined-journey model bundling river cruises with Emerald Tours land extensions.
- Avalon Waterways: Globus family of brands' river cruise operator sailing Europe's major rivers with all-inclusive pricing and active-discovery excursions, directly competing with Emerald on itinerary overlap and customer demographic.
- Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection: Ultra-luxury small-ship yacht cruising targeting affluent travelers with all-inclusive amenities and Mediterranean/Caribbean itineraries — the most direct comparable to Emerald's Azzurra/Sakara yacht fleet on pricing and customer profile.
Broad incumbents
- Silversea Cruises: Ultra-luxury ocean cruise line with butler-service suites and all-inclusive itineraries across all seven continents; broader portfolio than Emerald's yacht fleet but competes for the same affluent traveler seeking intimate luxury cruising experiences.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Emerald Cruises & Tours social profiles
Digital presenceEmerald Cruises & Tours financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Emerald Cruises & Tours leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Emerald Cruises & Tours funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Emerald Cruises & Tours M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Emerald Cruises & Tours
What does Emerald Cruises & Tours do?
Emerald Cruises & Tours sells all-inclusive luxury river cruises along Europe's Danube, Rhine, Rhône, and Douro rivers and the Mekong in Southeast Asia aboard Star-Ships, ultra-luxury ocean yacht cruises aboard Emerald Azzurra and Emerald Sakara to destinations including the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Caribbean, Red Sea, Seychelles, Indian Ocean, Asia, and South Pacific, and small-group land journeys through Canada, Alaska, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Pricing is per person and includes accommodation, dining, beverages, and guided excursions, with optional premium excursions and travel protection plans available.
Is Emerald Cruises & Tours a public or private company?
Emerald Cruises & Tours is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Emerald Cruises & Tours founded?
Emerald Cruises & Tours was founded in -1.
Where is Emerald Cruises & Tours based?
Emerald Cruises & Tours is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Emerald Cruises & Tours make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. River Cruise Bookings are the primary driver. The others are yacht Cruise Bookings, land Tour Packages and private Charters.
Who are Emerald Cruises & Tours's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Ponant, Crystal River Cruises, Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, Viking River Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, AmaWaterways, Tauck River Cruises, Avalon Waterways and Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. Silversea Cruises is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Emerald Cruises & Tours have an API?
No public API is recorded for Emerald Cruises & Tours.
What industry is Emerald Cruises & Tours in?
Emerald Cruises & Tours's product category is Luxury Cruises and Tours. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAEACAA, Luxury River Cruise Operators, with a secondary code of THAEADAC, Small-Ship Expedition Cruises (Under ~500 Guests). Its NAICS code is 483212 and its SIC code is 4400.