While the future of river cruising, like most of travel, hinges largely on Covid-19 vaccines and testing, it's a sector that appears to remain well positioned for recovery.
Despite the highly publicized cases of outbreaks on larger cruise ships both at the outset of the pandemic and since the ocean cruise industry's attempts to return, surveys of travel advisors throughout the year have consistently shown river and small ship cruising to be among the most popular products being booked for future travel.
The results from the latest survey of USTOA members reinforces the perception that smaller ships are popular.
The survey, conducted at the end of October, showed small-group tours were the most popular travel product booked in recent months for travel next year, followed by private groups, FIT and river and small ship cruising. Ocean cruising on medium and large ships, meanwhile, was the least popular.
Likewise, Europe -- always a favored destination for North American travelers -- hasn't lost its appeal. Among new bookings over the last few months, nearly two thirds of USTOA members polled said their new bookings were to international destinations, with Europe topping the list.
That combination should spell good news for river lines when travel presumably opens up next year.
Asked to pitch river cruising during the recent CruiseWorld conference, Walter Littlejohn, the managing director of Crystal Cruises, characterized it as the safe way to send clients to Europe.
"If they are going to go to Europe," he said, "the safest environment that can be provided is on a river ship."
Executives from other river lines agreed, emphasizing that the ships' small sizes and stringent health and safety standards help create a natural bubble that would offer more protection than moving on land between hotels.
While most lines were grounded by the pandemic this year, some did sail, with minimal reports of Covid-19 infections, and none among those lines that cater to almost exclusively to North American travelers.
Marcus Leskovar, executive vice president of Amadeus River Cruises, and Gary Murphy, senior vice president of sales and co-owner of AmaWaterways, said they were able to prove the effectiveness of their protocols with the limited cruises they operated this summer for European passengers.
River cruising, Murphy said, "is a safe, comfortable and delightful way to travel during this time."
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December 03, 2020 at 10:40PM
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Popular choices for future travelers: Small ships and Europe - Travel Weekly
"popular" - Google News
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