Experiential travel, inclusions and value for money continue to be the key factors customers consider when they are booking a holiday, according to a panel of experts

Speaking during the New Deal Europe Forum 2026, hosted by Cruise Trade News, Jayne Lambert, national key account manager UK for the Globus family of brands, including Avalon Waterways, explained the river cruise line has seen a significant increase in demand for its active and discovery cruises as customers seek a deeper dive into their destination.

“We are seeing growing demand for our active and discovery cruises where clients are looking for something more immersive, like visiting and eating with local people,” she said.

“When we have guests booking a week-long river cruise, they tend to add a pre- or post-cruise stay, but more and more are looking at building that out into a tailor-made package, such as a week cruise on the Danube followed by an escorted land tour. We have seen a growth of around 82% on pre- and post-cruise stays this year compared to last year.”

Lambert was joined at the event, which brings together travel professionals focused on southeast Europe and the Balkans, by Angie Brandt, chief executive of US agency Both Worlds Travel, who said she has seen a growth in demand from her customers for added pre- or post-cruise stays to further immerse themselves in a destination.

“Experiential travel is driving everyone,” she said. “We can get on a cruise and travel all over the world, but we don’t always get to have those immersive experiences in the ports we dock in.

“People want to go off the beaten path, hear the history, know what has driven change in the destination, talk to the locals, eat the food and drink the wine. The value is in pre- and post-cruise stays when people can stay longer.”

Iva Bencun, director at Zadar City Tourist Board, agreed, cited the value of shore excursions in connecting visitors to their destination.

“When you’re on a cruise ship, you’re constantly on the sea, but you don’t actually get the chance to swim in it,” she said. “Shore excursions are so important to connect visitors with the destination and give them the chance to touch the land, get in the sea and meet local people.”

Robin Griffiths, national partnerships manager at APT Travel Group, added: “People want to be immersed in their destination. It’s important to remember that the destination is the destination, not the ship.”

Value for money

Excellent value on a holiday has always been important for travellers, but it seems to have risen to the forefront of customers’ agendas during the cost-of-living crisis.

Griffiths said value is now “driving the growth” APT is seeing as customers look for more inclusions out of a holiday.

“Customers want more space on board, more choice, finer dining, wine lists and more immersive experiences. But, crucially, they want to feel that sense of reassurance and being looked after. It’s that end-to-end service that goes beyond quantifiable luxury.

“People’s expectations in the value and inclusion space have grown exponentially in recent years as they want expertly designed itineraries with more flexibility on inclusions at a good price.

“Volume is growing and it’s driven by people wanting more bang for their buck.”

Lambert added: “People want to travel but they want small luxuries as well. They also want guiding which works well with river cruising.

“Our UK guests are upgrading to our Panorama Suites and we’ve seen double digit growth in our Irish market for luxuries. People want more from their holidays.”

Overtourism fears

Overtourism continues to be a concern for the cruise industry, especially with the ever-increasing number of new ships scheduled to enter service in the coming years.

Stefan Mototolea, general manager at Eastern European Experience, said the added ships could present new opportunities for lesser-visited destinations along Europe’s rivers, but “the most important thing is docking locations”.

“The number of ships sailing on rivers is increasing but the number of docking positions isn’t,” he said. “We need to invest in this so docking positions have capacity to welcome more ships but we also need to spread those docks out to offer a wider range of destinations and locations.

“It would even give customers more reason to return to rivers they have already sailed on if there are more ports of call they haven’t visited previous times.”

Bencun encouraged cruise lines to talk to tourist boards in the destinations they visit to better alleviate overcrowding and to give customers a more authentic, enjoyable experience.

She said: “We all want to make the customer’s experience the most enjoyable possible and so we need to communicate about how we can offer more choice and manage where they are going so we avoid too many people visiting the same places at once. Communication is key.”

Griffiths added: “A choice of excursions is really important so we can distribute our guests across them. Travelling in shoulder or off season is also helpful.”