A recent survey conducted by Fred. River Cruises has revealed that destination remains the primary reason why travellers choose one river cruise another. 79% of the respondents stated that where the cruise goes is the number one priority for them, with a massive 93% including this is in their top three considerations.

The result confirms that, despite the investment that goes into building new and exciting ships, the ports themselves are still the biggest draw for anyone looking to explore the world by river.

After destination, the second and third reasons are the overall price and the availability of pre/post stays, which were listed in the top three by 76% and 50% of people respectively. This backs up the data released by CLIA in their State Of The Cruise 2020 Industry Outlook, which highlighted 'cruise and stay' as a big trend for the coming year.

Further interesting findings from the river cruise survey include the fact that cruisers enjoy nothing more than exploring ashore when they travel. 60% of respondents highlighted this as their favourite thing to do whilst on a river cruise, showing that operators keen to provide a wide range of excursions and enriching activities are likely to profit most.

Couple this with the fact that 68% stated that they wanted at least some moderate activity during their cruise and it's easy to see why there is such a trend for active excursions at the moment.

“Active excursions have become a big part of the itineraries that cruise operators offer,” said Sukie Rapal, Head of River Cruise at Fred. River Cruises. “Our research shows that customers not only value these as a way of diversifying the activities available but also as a way of varying the pace of their holiday.”

The least important ctor when it came to favourite things to do on a river cruise was 'spending time in the gym,' preferring, it seems, to get their exercise by exploring each port of call instead.

Finally, the study showed that the classic European waterways remain at the forefront of travellers' minds for 2020 and beyond. Topping the list of rivers that cruisers were most excited to explore next were the Douro (42%), Danube (37%), Rhine (29%) and Rhone/Saône (21%). Specific destinations that they are looking forward to seeing this year include Budapest, Vienna and Strasbourg.

Itinerary example:

Fred. River Cruises offer a Danube river cruise which includes the bustling capital cities of Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade from £2,059pp.

Pricing is based on a trip from 28th October 2020 and includes dining, onboard entertainment, as well as flights from London and overseas transfer.

Ends

Notes To Editors

Fred. River Cruises

Under the Fred. Olsen Travel name, Fred. River Cruises is proud to act as UK General Sales Agents for a number of river cruise operators around the world. Products like Amadeus River Cruises – Europe, American Cruise Lines – USA, Pandaw – South-East Asia, Sanctuary Retreats – Egypt, Coral Expeditions – Australia, Volga Dream – Russia and Far Horizon – India help them to create a portfolio that covers every major region.

Fred. River Cruises is bonded by the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) and by the Civil Aviation Authority's Air Travel Organisers Licensing (ATOL) scheme.

For additional information, please contact: 

Surinder Manku, P1 Communications. Tel: 0208 614 7505 / surinder.manku@p1communications.com

Chris Mayhew, Fred. Olsen Travel Ltd. Tel: 01473 242659 / chris.mayhew@fredolsentravel.co.uk