River cruise: cautious expansion and larger vessels

River cruising continues to attract record bookings, especially in Europe. There is also more cautious expansion in Asia and USA.

There has been a drop in new business after a plethora of newbuilding orders in the last two years, but enquiries are still strong. In all, 42 vessels are on order. Passenger numbers demand larger vessels which provide economy of scale and will result in fewer, but larger capacity vessels. Due to increasing costs, the industry will expand further by outsourcing hull construction to third-party shipyards with interior finishing in Europe.

With their renowned operational expertise, expansion outside Europe, particularly in Asia, has brought new markets to Viking River Cruises, Crystal River Cruises and Riviera Travel to name a few. There is also talk of building ships in Asia as costs continue to escalate in European yards. New destinations for cruising include the Caspian Sea, African Lakes, Amazon, Nile, China, Vietnam and India.

Once the forerunner of inland cruising, Russia now seeks to regain its position as a leading player. Several orders have been placed and vessels added to the river cruise fleet in recent months. These have been delivered from or are on the orderbooks at Russian yards but slippage in construction inevitably occurs. This is not unique to Russia however, as décor and comfort are essential for attracting passengers in these luxurious vessels.

Russia is attempting to open up its prime city destinations to tourists on the water. Severrechflot is due to commission two 200-passenger cruisers specifically to inaugurate cruising on the River Ob and in the Gulf of Ob. More orders will follow for the Russian fleet in the months to come.