The number of British passengerstaking a river cruise soared by 14% in 2012 with numbers reaching 130,000, according to new research released today by the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA). This marks a sharp contrast with the ocean cruise market that grew by just 1,000 passengers to 1.701 million.
Britons took a record 90,000 European river cruise holidays, a 12 %increase on 2011. This popularity reflects an ongoing upward trend, with Europe representing 69 per cent share of the market compared to only 50% in 2009.
The overall increase in demand for river holidays was driven by new capacity on European rivers and partly by greater political stability in Egypt. Investment in new tonnage in 2012 was strong with an additional 12 river vessels and 2013 will witness over 30 new itineraries and more new ships including two each for Avalon Waterways and AmaWaterways together with new vessels for CroisiEurope, Lüftner Cruises and Scenic Tours.
According to PSA data, the value of the UK river cruise market in 2012 was £175m. Once again the most popular destination for British river cruises was The Nile, which was booked by nearly 22% of the market and experienced a 12% year-on-year increase in passengers. This was followed closely by the Rhine/Moselle and tributaries (20.7% of bookings) and the Danube (11.6 %). Significant growth was achieved by China and the Far East, which experienced a 38% lift in passengers, up to 5.3% market share in 2012. In total, non-European destinations saw a rise of 19%.
British river cruisers were most motivated by “value for money” in 2012, with 77% citing it as one of the principle reasons for their booking (up from 54% in 2011). The “all-inclusive nature of cruise packages” was the second key factor (referenced by 42% of river cruisers).
Reasons for choosing specific river cruises included the itinerary and destinations (74%) and the duration (21%). British river cruisers were less concerned with using a cruise line with which they had sailed before (22% cited as a factor) compared with their ocean going counterparts (59% of whom highlighted this reason).
River cruisers are less likely than ocean cruisers to take several river holidays a year. Just 14% of the UK’s river cruisers took multiple river holidays in 2012, compared to 49% of ocean going cruisers who booked at least two ocean holidays. Less than a third (31% ) of UK river cruisers had never been on an ocean cruise, with 23% having been on six or more ocean cruises and 30% having been on one or two.
