Clia UK & Ireland’s deputy chair says there is “plenty of scope” for more growth in the river cruise sector.
Giles Hawke predicted that, as more ships sail on rivers in North America, the number of British river cruise passengers would shoot up.
He also suggested river cruising appealed to new-to-cruise passengers because of the variety of ports on offer, which he said was a different offering to ocean sailings which focus on signature ports such as Barcelona, Venice and Dubrovnik.
“We are seeing river cruise become a sector in its own right,” Hawke said. “I think there is plenty of scope to keep growing.
“A lot of it comes down to infrastructure. Over time we will see river cruise lines look further afield but also destinations will invest to attract cruise lines.”
Last year 180,000 Britons sailed on European rivers, in 2012 that figure was around 90,000 passengers, Hawke added.
In 2017, 62% of British river cruise passengers sailed on central or western European rivers, but the fastest growing regions were in eastern and southern Europe on the Danube and Russian waterways.
Britons sailing on Russian rivers increased by nearly 70%, compared to 2016.
Passengers who sailed on ships operated by non-Clia members, like Viking, were factored into the figures, released by Clia, on Monday.