Aqua Expeditions
River cruising
Cruise through the
peak to any river cruising aficionado about the world’s best waterways and the Mekong River will invariably crop up. A snaking river network that runs all the way from the Tibetan plateau through China and the infamous golden triangle to Cambodia and Vietnam, this ancient resource remains a major trade route and the gateway to South East Asia’s fascinating blend of idiosyncratic cultures. The sprawling river basin has had a break from cruise ships over the past two and a half years. While European river cruises were able to resume relatively quickly after the outbreak of Covid-19, travel to South East Asia has been almost entirely cut off until very recently. But operators in the region believe that from early Autumn 2022, it will be a case of picking up where they left off.
S
In 2019, there would generally be around ten boats exploring the Mekong at any one time. Some operators
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beauty of Asia
Prior to the pandemic, more and more cruisers were being drawn to the Mekong’s fascinating network of waterways, offering entry to its astounding natural beauty and its rich cultural heritage. Elly Earls talks to AmaWaterways president Rudi Schreiner and Aqua Expeditions
CEO Francesco Galli Zugaro, to fi nd out about the evolution of river cruising in the region, and why the Mekong continues to entice adventurous travellers through a diverse array of itineraries.
run year-round cruises and others have breaks during the sweltering summer season. AmaWaterways has been cruising on the Mekong since 2009. Its 124-passenger AmaDara, which launched in 2015, features two restaurants, a fitness room, massage facilities and a sun deck swimming pool. Meanwhile, Aqua Expeditions has been operating in the region since 2014 with its smaller and more luxurious all-suite vessel, the Aqua Mekong.
But 2019 also saw some new additions to the Mekong’s regular crowd, including the custom-built Emerald Harmony, which sailed a sold-out maiden season before the pandemic brought tourism on the river to a grinding halt.
An eye-opening experience Pre-pandemic, the most adventurous of the cruise industry’s rapidly increasing demographic were
World Cruise Industry Review /
www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com
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