NEWS attended Clia’s 14th annual river cruise-themed forum last week. Ella Sagar reports from Amsterdam


‘Overcapacity would lead to rock-bottom pricing’


R


river cruise preconceptions: from left, Andrea Higgins, Uniworld; Robin Griffiths, APT Travel Luxury Cruises; and Vicky Billing, Riviera Travel


Janet Whittingham


and ‘a runaway train’


Numbers were up last year [versus 2024] and long may that continue,” he said. Barrhead Travel’s Nicki Tempest-


Mitchell said the agency had seen “stronger and stronger” growth in river bookings for the past three years. She attributed this to Barrhead “putting a lot of activity” behind the sector and operators educating the trade more. Tempest-Mitchell added that sales


for customers aged 34 to 44 had grown by 75% year on year, with couples making up 80% of river customers and groups of more than three accounting for 20% of bookings. “Our core audience is definitely 55 to


85, however, our fastest-growing sector is actually 34 to 44,” she said.


iver cruise operators have hailed the sector’s growth but expressed concerns about overcrowding as


new lines prepare to enter the market and others plot expansion. Celebrity River Cruises has 20


new-build ships scheduled to sail in Europe by 2031, while Scenic Group and Tui River Cruises both confirmed plans to grow their fleets last week. Avalon Waterways president Pam


Hoffee said the “right pace of growth” for the line was roughly one new ship a year, adding there were “a few reasons” not to grow at a “hugely fast pace”, including supply chain issues and a shortage of river cruise captains. She added: “We need to make sure we don’t create


overcapacity; we were in that position in about 2014-15. “As an industry, it isn’t good for any of us. It


means everything goes to rock-bottom pricing and those big commissions also drop down.” Hoffee said new destinations and alternative


ways of operating excursions outside city centres “need to be developed”, referencing Ybbs an der Donau on the Danube in Austria, which Avalon Waterways introduced as a new cruise port in 2020. AmaWaterways president Catherine Powell conceded


Giles Hawke


that growing fleets put “a huge amount of pressure” on the supply chain for new hardware and operations along European rivers. “There is no doubt about the


pressure on the industry, but I think as a whole it’s an incredibly dynamic sector and we’re very excited about it,” she said. Uniworld Boutique River


Cruises UK and Ireland managing director Chris Townson said the company had “robust


infrastructure” in place to navigate overcapacity issues. He said: “We are bringing new ships to the market but


we’re growing at a sensible and realistic pace, prioritising elevation of the fleet and guest experience over volume.” Celebrity Cruises international vice-president


Giles Hawke said more capacity on European rivers presented “an opportunity” for UK agents. He insisted the line’s river ships would be tapping into


“a database of ready-made customers” from its existing ocean-going clientele. “There are a lot of people already cruising,” he said.


“Adding some more river cruise capacity isn’t going to make a dent on the sort of volume that we’re carrying around the world as ocean cruise companies.”


Agents cite flight links and poor marketing as key barriers


Agents revealed the biggest barriers to increasing their river sales, including lack of flight allocations and “stereotypical” marketing. Barrhead Travel’s Nicki Tempest-


Nicki Tempest- Mitchell


Mitchell said the “biggest challenges” when selling river were a lack of flights for customers based in the north of England and Scotland and operators failing to articulate to consumers how their line differs from others. She said: “Most river cruise lines say their bookings


are coming through six months or less before travel, and that puts pressure on the air piece because there is less availability and fewer direct routes available.” Travel Village Group’s Phil Nuttall agreed securing


travelweekly.co.uk


direct flights from the north and Scotland was “difficult”. He also stressed there was “work to


be done” around marketing, adding: “The adverts you see on TV are very stereotypical and it is normally before an advert for someone with a stairlift. “We need to make it exciting and talk


about the destinations more.” Travel Counsellors’ Janet Whittingham said agents “need more local flights” but


the perception that the sector is “a bit stale” was “the main barrier”. She said: “We know it is a lot more than that and we


need help from a marketing angle to help myth-bust as much as we can.”


19 MARCH 2026 13


PICTURES: Steve Dunlop


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