The continued investment in new river cruise ships has led to a 22% increase in the number of UK passengers taking a European river holiday in 2013, but the continued unrest in Egypt has hit badly the business on the Nile, figures released by Cruise Lines’ International Association (CLIA) UK & Ireland show.

The number of British passengers on European river cruises in 2013 increased to 109,800 from 90,000 in the previous year, while those cruising outside Europe numbered 21,700, a sharp fall from 39,800 in the previous year. Nile lost 57% of the business, with just 12,200 British passengers last year, while the Far East suffered a fall of 38% to 4,300 passengers.

“European river cruising is in the process of a major product re-invention and this is reflected by UK travel agents reporting a surge in demand for river cruises. In just the last two years (2012-13), 27 new ships have been introduced on Europe’s rivers and 24 more are due during 2014,” CLIA said.

The previous generation of river cruise ships were small with few if any cabins with balconies. Dining was limited to one venue and fixed times while entertainment options were limited. This has changed radically with the new generation of ships.

A third of European river cruise ships have been built within the last ten years - a quarter within the last five. These are larger than their predecessors with some having a new-style twin-deck design. They also offer the kind of multiple dining venues, spa facilities and range of cabins with balconies which have already combined to transform the ocean cruising.

Another key change is that most river cruise brands have now moved towards a more comprehensive and easier-to-understand all-inclusive pricing model, CLIA stated.