Three river cruise lines that have resumed sailings have sounded an optimistic note about 2021 bookings.

Speaking during the CLIA Virtual River Cruise Showcase event, held on 23 September, representatives from A-Rosa, Amadeus River Cruises, and CroisiEurope stated that for next year – particularly from June onwards – there was an upward curve in terms of bookings, particularly on the Douro and the Rhine.

A-Rosa UK & Ireland MD Lucia Rowe said: “There is constant demand for the Douro, [and] shorter cruises on the Rhine are booming.”

The line returned to sailing three months ago and currently has eight out of 12 ships on the water.

Rowe added that A-Rosa was also seeing a change in passenger habits. “Many people are looking at other types of river cruising – city breaks used to be coordinated with river cruising, but all of that has gone back a bit, as people are more wary of big cities,” she said.

“There is an increase in river cruising exploring the landscape and small villages. We are finding new opportunities to showcase things that people were not aware of before.”

CroisiEurope UK sales director John Fair said the line was “reasonably well booked for 2021”, but  “very busy” for June and onwards.

“The Douro is very popular for us next year,” he continued. “From what I’ve seen most rivers are doing well – we are focusing on Europe at the moment.” Fair confirmed that the line has approximately 20 ships sailing as of today [23 September].

Amadeus River Cruises BDM Lucy Hone added the line was seeing positive indications on the Rhine and French rivers, and fielding new enquiries, although “it is difficult to get those people over the line [to book]”.

“[I want to say] thank you to travel agents as they have managed to rebook many people who were booked in 2020.”

As for the possibility of amending itineraries in the face of new restrictions, Rowe said it was important to remain agile. “We have to be exceptionally quick in reacting, ” she said. “As long as you are honest with guests, they really do appreciate it.”