A-Rosa has unveiled plans to restart cruises on some of Europe’s most popular rivers in June.

The line said it hopes to operate sailings on the Douro, Rhine and Danube by the middle of next month and in France by the end of June.

International passengers will be welcomed on board in line with each country’s entry and exit requirements.

The decision “follows the success shown in both the ongoing vaccination rollout and the measures put in place to control the pandemic across Europe”, a statement said.

It pointed to the fact that countries across Europe are outlining plans to reopen for tourism – Portugal is open to tourists, while Austria will allow river cruises on the Danube again from 19 May.

The German federal states along the Rhine have included tourist accommodation (including river cruises) in their reopening plans, expected to be in place by mid-June, A-Rosa stated, with the Netherlands and Belgium also expected to follow suit.

A four-stage plan in France is set to allow cruise and passenger ships to operate from 30 June, the line added.

Slovakia and Hungary have not given dates for when hotels (including river cruises) will open, but both countries are now recording low case numbers.

Last year A-Rosa sailed for five months under a series of new health and hygiene protocols.

Managing director Jörg Eichler said: “It is really encouraging that tourism in Europe finally looks like it can return soon.

“We are busy adapting and updating our current protocols in line with the latest regulations in the countries we sail through and will announce them in the coming days. Our successful five months of sailing in 2020 clearly shows that cruising with A-Rosa can be safe and enjoyable.”

A-Rosa recently announced that steel construction work has been completed on its new E-Motion ship, which is due to launch in 2022 and will feature a battery propulsion system to cut emissions.