River cruise market reports growth
The number of UK passengers taking a river cruise jumped 6% in 2014, according to figures released today by CLIA UK & Ireland.
The number of British travellers taking a river cruise in the UK, Europe and further afield grew by almost 8,000 to 139,400 in 2014.
Europe river cruises account for 86% of all passengers, with the popularity of the River Danube growing 41%.
Cruises on Russia’s rivers grew in popularity too, climbing 15%, while cruises on rivers such as the Mekong are up 55%, and in India, rivers including the Ganges and Brahmaputra are up 24%.
CLIA said the key reason for the growth of river cruises is the arrival of new, larger ships with greater on board amenities.
A third of European river cruise ships have been built within the last 10 years – a quarter within the last five – and investment continues with 16 CLIA member river vessels due to be launched in 2015 alone.
“With the continued investment in new, more innovative ships and the ever-increasing choice and diversity of itineraries in Europe and further afield, it’s no surprise that more UK passengers than ever are opting for river cruises as their holiday choice,” said Andy Harmer, director of CLIA UK & Ireland.
From March 26-30, CLIA UK & Ireland will launch its first ever River Cruise Weekend to raise the profile of river cruise holidays.
Consumers and travel agents are also being invited to post their photos of river cruise destinations and reasons to love river cruise holidays with the hashtag #lovecruise.
The photographs will be placed on CLIA’s Facebook page, with a winner selected at random at the end of CLIA River Cruise Weekend who will receive an iPad mini.
Further information on the 2015 CLIA UK & Ireland River Cruise Weekend can be found by visiting www.cruiseexperts.org
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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