Next year, twice as many river
vessels than ocean liners will be
launched around the world.
AT LEAST 13 new river-cruising ships are on
the way in 2012, compared to only seven new
ocean liners – the first time that the balance
has been tipped.
Leading the pack, in January, Uniworld will
enter Asia with the River Saigon debuting on
the Mekong River.
Avalon Waterways will also add a ship on the
Mekong, the Angkor, as well as the Vista and
Visionary in Europe; and in March, Viking River
Cruises is set to unleash six longships in
Europe.
April will see the launch of APT’s AmaCerto
and Scenic Tours’ Scenic Crystal.
And in the US, American Cruise Line’s Queen
of the Mississippi is due in August.
Teresia Fors, Viking’s managing director
(Australia & New Zealand), described the
growth of river cruising as “yesterday’s news”
but said it was now established as a
mainstream cruise category, which also
reaches out to people who have never cruised.
“I am absolutely certain that for many
travellers currently not cruising, river cruising
will become the first stepping stone on their
path to becoming cruisers,” she said.
John Molinaro, Uniworld’s general manager
Australia, said there was “no doubt” that river
cruising would be more popular in 2012,
especially among couples and multigenerational
families.
“This type of holiday experience is clearly on
the radar of more travellers than ever, and I
think we will all see significantly positive
results of that in the next 12 months,” he said.
Christian Schweitzer, Australasia’s marketing
manager of Globus which operates Avalon
ships, said the boom would provide greater
diversity in itineraries and features “including
how travellers can spend their leisure time
aboard, from ways to view the scenery, to
onboard pampering, through to dining
options”.
However, Fors warned Australians not to be
too assured by the record level of capacity.
“Booking early is still critical,” she said.
“Secure your stateroom first, then worry
about the earlybird airfares when they come out.
“So many people that I have been in touch
with for the past three to four months were
missing out because they had left it too late,”
she added.
