Changing Tides in the River Cruise Industry

A new study of tourists asked them to share their travel interests and plans for 2023, highlighting trend insight for river cruising over the next year and beyond.

According to a “Wish List” survey from the Globus family of brands—Globus, Cosmos and Avalon Waterways—the top five rivers that cruisers are interested in sailing next include the Rhine (76 percent), Upper Danube (64 percent), Seine and Rhone (39 percent), Lower Danube (34 percent) and Douro (31 percent).

The countries topping the must-see lists are France (39 percent), Portugal (31 percent), Germany (30 percent), Austria (25 percent) and Switzerland (24 percent). Outside of Europe, survey results indicate that river cruise itineraries of most interest are the Nile (15 percent), Mekong (13 percent) and Amazon (nine percent).

“River cruise bookings for 2023 are being led by the Rhine River, however, our most popular destination for the New Year is France,” Avalon president Pam Hoffee said. “We expect both the Seine and Rhone Rivers to sell-out this year.”

The study also found that 26 percent of river cruisers are interested in active excursions, while another 44 percent said it’s important to walk cobblestones less traveled to discover new experiences and ports.

“Overall, the results of the survey are pretty consistent with what I am hearing from my clients,” We Book Travel’s Jesse Morris said. “River cruising has been growing in popularity since before the pandemic. We are seeing a significant number of requests for Europe as a destination with many of those wanting to experience a river cruise.”

“Christmas Markets itineraries have generated the highest number of requests for my agency,” Morris continued. “This has been a steady trend for a while now and seems to be growing as more people become aware of exactly what a river cruise entails.”

While 73 percent of respondents still consider their partner the best travel partner, 30 percent shared an interest in going with friends or family members. Another 24 percent said they prefer to go solo on their next trip.