River cruises to lead the return of European holidays on the water
River sailings look increasingly likely to lead the cruise industry’s recovery this year as rising numbers of ocean cruise lines push back their start dates to late spring and beyond.
Several companies are already reporting heightened interest from customers attracted by the smaller size of riverboats, which hold 200 passengers at most; the proximity of Europe’s most popular rivers to the UK, which can be easily be reached by train rather than flying; and the ease and flexibility of exploring destinations along the riverbanks.
A number of river cruise lines, including A-Rosa, Nicko Cruises and CroisiEurope were among the first to start sailing again last summer, though other companies which depend heavily on the US market put off resuming operations until this spring.
Viking and Avalon Waterways have since announced a further delay, pushing back start dates until the end of March due to ongoing high coronavirus infection rates across Europe, but river cruise chiefs remain optimistic for this year.
AmaWaterways UK managing director Jamie Loizou pointed out that many river cruise lines could restart operations with less than a month’s notice. Regardless, Ama and others currently plan to resume operations from spring.
“I think this is a huge opportunity for the river cruise industry because we all know there is massive pent-up demand for holidays and I think we will see even more interest from people moving from ocean cruises to river,” he predicted.
Avalon Waterways UK chief executive Giles Hawke agreed, adding: “For ocean cruisers who have not been able to get their cruising fix, river cruises offer an alternative and give a fantastic way for us to demonstrate the quality of the product.”
He also claimed river cruises could “fill the gap” for anyone worried at the prospect of getting on to a large cruise ship with thousands of other guests and looking for a different type of cruising experience.
“This could be an opportunity for us to find customers who might have been unsure or resistant to river cruising, and give them a chance to try something they would not have thought of otherwise.”
Viking, which has a fleet of more than 60 vessels on Europe’s rivers, reported that demand for sailings was so high it was now taking bookings on cruises as far ahead as 2023.
“Overall bookings are looking very strong for 2021 and UK travellers are realising that if they don’t plan ahead and book now, there may not be availability when they are able to travel,” said UK managing director Wendy Atkin-Smith.
“The limited availability is not just down to guests who are rebooking, a substantial number of new bookings received since last March have been from guests who are new to Viking.”
River cruise operators report strong demand for the most popular European rivers, the Rhine and Danube, though the Douro river in Portugal is attracting increasing interest.
The Seine and Rhone rivers in France are also rising up the popularity stakes, so much so that AmaWaterways has added two more vessels across the two rivers with new itineraries offering more overnight stops, along with extra biking and hiking options. Upmarket line Scenic has introduced culinary cruises on the Rhone and in Bordeaux, reflecting both regions’ gastronomic and wine pedigrees.
Mr Loizou said interest in both waterways had been building and interest in Seine voyages, which generally include trips to the wartime Normandy landing beaches, had been boosted by 2019’s 75th anniversary commemorations.
Further afield and Egypt’s Nile has been a star performer for AmaWaterways, with its new vessel AmaDahlia already 75 per cent sold for its inaugural season, starting in September.
Viking reports strong sales of Russia sailings between Moscow and St Petersburg and along the Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia – a river that Avalon has also seen healthy bookings for.
“Having been unable to travel freely in 2020, we are seeing a trend towards longer trips on both river and ocean,” explained Atkin-Smith.
“More travellers than ever before are recognising that with river cruises, you can visit multiple destinations in one trip without having to go through lots of airports – and they feel safer on smaller ships.”
AmaWaterways’ Mr Loizou notes that more customers are booking “celebration travel” for milestone birthdays and anniversaries, especially those that could not be celebrated last year, with family and multi-generational business also markedly increased.
River cruise companies are at pains to stress their credentials in the face of coronavirus fears. Loizou pointed out that one of AmaWaterways vessels spent four months sailing the Rhine last year under private charter, catering for nearly 1,500 guests and enabling it to refine health and safety protocols.
Avalon has upgraded air-conditioning in public areas of its vessels to HVAC systems providing fresh, filtered air, while Viking is setting up a network of shoreside laboratories for regular Covid-19 testing of its river clients.
“The biggest thing from our perspective is that we need people to realise they can travel safely,” said Hawke.
