Room For More In 2014 
13.12.2013
Room For More In 2014
Dec 13.- Europe's river-cruise business is insisting there is still room for growth, despite a record-breaking year ahead for new ships, routes and even companies.
Next year will see an astonishing outpouring of extra capacity, with the likes of Viking River Cruises introducing another FOURTEEN of their highly-praised Longships, while AmaWaterways and Avalon will also have new vessels and Emerald Waterways will make their debut with two ships in 2014, with more to come.
Big French operator CroisiEurope are also expanding in the hotel barge sector while regular tour operator Abercrombie & Kent is increasing its own river-cruise offerings from three departures (on the 152-passenger Amadeus Brilliant of Austrian shipping company Luftner Cruises) in 2013 to 18 sailings on a fleet of three Amadeus ships in 2014.
But industry news source Travel Weekly was quick to point out the business still believes this is NOT over-crowding the waterways of Europe.
And it quoted Viking senior vice-president of marketing Richard Marnell, saying: “We have 14 Longships on order for next year because the demand among our passengers is there, and we believe that the waterways we sail in Europe can accommodate that type of growth. But we do recognise there is a need for investments in local infrastructure, and we will actively work to play a role in those discussions.”
So, expect even MORE choice in 2014 - and some bargains to match!