By
Rebecca Gibson |
River and small ship cruising has dominated the market, increasing more than 200% in both size and sales over the last five years, says Avalon Waterways.
According to Patrick Clark, managing director of Avalon Waterways, advance bookings for 2014 indicate that many cruise passengers are attracted to river cruising by the line’s Suite Ships, the wide range of intimate ports and inclusive pricing. To capitalise on this growth, Avalon Waterways is to increase its European presence in 2014, with its eight Suite Ships offering a range of itineraries on the region’s rivers.
“There’s no sign that the excitement surrounding river cruising will slow down anytime soon, as our load factor for 2014 is already pacing well above where it was this time last year – another record-breaking year,” said Clark.
Next year, the company’s French cruises are set to be particularly popular – indicated by a 39% increase in bookings – while the ‘Austrian Highlights and Bavaria’ cruise from Vienna to Munich and the ‘Blue Danube to the Black Sea’ voyage from Vienna to Bucharest have seen the most growth in terms of sales.
Avalon’s other busy itineraries are set to be the eight-day ‘Romantic Rhine’ trip, the 11-day ‘The Legendary Danube’ voyage from Prague to Budapest, the eight-day ‘Paris to Normandy’s Landing Beaches’ roundtrip and the 11-day ‘Burgundy and Provence’ cruise from Paris to Côte d’Azur.
The line’s themed cruises are also becoming increasingly popular, and its WWI and European History, Art and Impressionist, Jazz and two wine-themed cruises have already been sold-out in 2014.