Wellness is really important in helping the river cruise sector to decrease the age profile of the market
of its cruises this year, in response to demand for more active options. “We want to appeal to people who think river cruise is a bit too sedentary for them,” said Morgan. A-Rosa, meanwhile, said its wellbeing offering - which includes fitness classes, bike tours and spa treatments - had always been a key draw for its cruisers. “A lot of these people do their yoga
and pilates at home on a regular basis, so they want to continue doing it while exploring,” said Rowe. Uniworld’s Townson also said wellness was booming, with growing interest in spa cruises. The line added an itinerary for this year featuring the German spa town of Baden-Baden, known for its healing thermal waters, which has “gone off the scale”. AmaWaterways started rolling out
a wellness programme three years ago, and now has a wellness host on every ship in Europe, with five complimentary fitness classes a day. Perl said offerings such as this are
of the essence in changing perceptions of river cruise. “I think wellness is a
30 November 2019
really important part of helping the river cruise sector to, first of all, decrease the age profile of the market generally, but also to attract ocean cruisers.” It seems to be working. Janet Parton, director of sales at Cosmos and Avalon Waterways, said the average age of an Avalon customer had fallen by five years in the past 12 months. She attributed that partly to the launch of the brand’s Active & Discovery cruises, which give passengers a choice of at least three excursions in every destination they visit, with options to get active through jogging, kayaking, cycling and more on cruises along the Rhine, Rhône and Danube.
FREEDOM OF CHOICE
That ties in with another major trend: the demand for flexibility. “People want choice,” said Parton. “They don’t want to be told what they’re doing all day - they want to do their own thing.” AmaWaterways offers a choice of included excursions in each port, with active and more laid-back options on
travelweekly.co.uk/cruise
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