Connection, knowledge exchange, and inspiration: with no fewer than 350 participants from various countries coming to beautiful Budapest, we collectively discussed the themes that connect us in these times.
These days have once again proven that the river cruise sector is agile, creative, and flexible. River cruising is an excellent form of managed tourism, with sustainability, responsible travel, and supporting local economies at its core. This not only makes it an attractive option for travelers but also a valuable contribution to the destinations we visit. Let’s hold on to this positive energy and continue to collaborate for a thriving sector!

A big thank you to Bernhard Schröder, Werner Frankhauser, Christoph Madl for the setup of the program and the great organization.

The annual European River Cruise survey has been presented at the Danube conference and can be found here.

Although thinking of a river itinerary may not be spontaneous for aspiring cruise passengers, it is definitely a good option according to travel professionals. Small-size ships, docking in first-rate locations, offering culture-oriented experiences: there is more than one advantage to choose rivers for a first cruise holiday!

Read the article from Condé Nast Traveler here (April 2023)

In 2021, the French inland waterways authorities Voies Navigable de France (VNF) and Compagnie Nationale du Rhône (CNR) decided to gather all river tourism stakeholders along the Rhône and the Saône rivers into a single platform, to foster cooperation, share expertise and find solutions to the common challenges they face. This initiative, joined by tourist offices, DMCs, cruise lines, nautical operators and local authorities, associates both technical and political committees. The Club de la Croisière Rhône-Saône’s road map includes workgroups about the offer of services at docking stations, local supply and promotion strategy.

Articles in French: 

https://www.vnf.fr/vnf/lancement-officiel-a-arles-du-club-de-la-croisiere-rhone-saone/

https://www.cnr.tm.fr/actualites/lancement-officiel-du-club-de-la-croisiere-rhone-saone/

This first-of-its kind European River Cruise Trends Report shows that “the first post-pandemic year has delivered results above expectations for most river cruise industry players”, as its author Frederik Erdmann sums up. Based on a survey conducted among various stakeholders of the European river cruise business (cruise lines, tour-operators, nautical managers, etc.), including River Cruise Europe members, the main findings of the report also foresee some optimism for the future, with the full recovery of key markets such as North-America, the growth potential of European cruising areas and newbuilings fueled by the environmental transition, especially through hybrid propulsion. It also points out the major challenges the river cruise industry will have to face, such as rising costs, sustainability or staff shortage.

You can download the report for free here:

Hamburg will be the host city for Seatrade Europe’s leading bi-annual event serving the European cruise and river cruise community. Organised by Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH, in partnership with Seatrade Cruise, cruise line buyers and cruise suppliers, manufacturers as well as ports/ destinations will unite to network and discuss the latest issues confronting the European cruise market on 6-8 September 2023.

The Rivercruise convention will take place at September 7th.
River Cruise Europe will take care of the content and setup of the Rivercruise Day in collaboration with IG Rivercruise and the Danube conference team.

The kick-off meeting took place end of March at Seatrade Cruise Global in Ft. Lauderdale.