By
Rebecca Gibson |
Amsterdam is to host the fourth CLIA UK & Ireland River Cruise Convention on Sunday 16 and Monday 17 November 2014.
Expected to attract around 300 delegates, the conference and trade fair will take place on Sunday, while at least six ships will be open for tours on Monday. These ships include vessels from Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection, A-Rosa, Amadeus River Cruises, AmaWaterways and Tauck.
“With a record number of British passengers taking a river holiday, more travel agents than ever are becoming interested in selling river cruises,” said Andy Harmer, CLIA UK & Ireland director. “There is no other event in the world that offers agents the opportunity to see firsthand so many different styles of river ship and to hear from key speakers on the latest industry developments.’
River cruising is on the rise among British passengers, with an additional 20,000 guests – a 22% increase from 2012 – choosing a European river cruise holiday in 2013. In total, around 110,000 passengers chose to cruise the continent’s waterways last year, meaning that Europe now accounts for 83% of river cruises chosen by UK passengers compared to 50% in 2009.
Boosted by the introduction of 27 river cruise ships in 2012-2013, Europe’s waterways now feature 260 vessels, while another 24 have been ordered and scheduled for delivery over the next few years.
Three new river cruise operators recently joined CLIA – including A-Rosa, American Queen Steamboat Company and Mekong Waterways – bringing the total number of river cruise companies with CLIA membership to 15.