A-Rosa River Cruises has christened its newest ship and revealed that it is now on sale in the UK.

The 126-guest A-Rosa Alva was officially welcomed to the fleet at a ceremony in Porto, on the banks of the river Douro, attended by company employees and the ship’s godmother, German singer, songwriter and actress, Yvonne Catterfeld.

UK agents can now book sailings on the ship for the first time. Selected 2020 departures have recently gone on sale with Newmarket Holidays, while Shearings Holidays will put its packages on sale imminently.

A-Rosa’s UK and Ireland MD Lucia Rowe said: “We are delighted that for 2020 the ship will be on sale in the UK via Newmarket Holidays and Shearings Holidays. Our UK partners have asked for Portugal as a destination and the Douro as a sailing region for many years and we are so pleased that we can now fulfil this demand and expand into this popular region.”

The ship – the smallest in the A-Rosa fleet – features Spa-Rosa with sauna and treatment rooms, a gym and a pool and sundeck.

A-Rosa CEO Jorg Eichler added: “The christening of the A-Rosa Alva further demonstrates the rise in popularity of contemporary European city-to-city holidays.

“Six years ago we started to invest in product innovation, marketing and sales and we have thus started to change the entire river cruise sector. River cruises have developed in recent years to become a more experience-led holiday for the entire family.

“After six years of investment, the A-Rosa Alva enables us to introduce both a new ship and a new destination and we will continue our expansion journey in this way.”

The river cruise line will again add to the fleet in 2021, with the launch of a revolutionary battery-powered ship that will reduce emissions as it approaches a city. Rowe added that it is a “prototype on Europe’s rivers and something we haven’t seen before”.

Read more about A-Rosa Alva in the June edition of Cruise Trade News.