The river sector has enjoyed another year of double-digit growth and booming demand. But “rock-bottom pricing” threatens to diminish the value of the sector, says APT and Travelmarvel UK and Europe managing director Paul Melinis 

You’d think from the way everyone’s talking, we have all just discovered rivers again, double-digit growth here, new ships there, and suddenly, river cruising is the new rock ’n’ roll.

And you know what? It’s brilliant. Amid all the talk of budgets, cost-of-living pressures, and economic gloom, our industry is riding a wave of booming growth. The buzz, the demand, the new ship orders, it’s all happening, and long may it continue.

Right across the sector, we are hearing reports from operators of large double-digit growth and that’s encouraging for everyone involved. I know it’s just what’s being reported but hopefully it’s accurate, because at times the market feels anything but stable. Yet it’s clear the appetite for river cruising is real and growing. Travellers want quality, intimate comfort, and connection and river cruising delivers all three.

At APT & Travelmarvel, we are proud to be part of this momentum. We have achieved double-digit growth ourselves, which I admit isn’t easy in a market that fluctuates as much as this one. And we are not standing still, far from it.

Our new APT Luxury ships Ostara and Solara have set a new benchmark for the industry, featuring six distinct restaurant concepts, seven total dining options, and a world-first bar that rises from the top deck to become a wine and small-plates venue. On top of that, we have new Travelmarvel ships launching on the Nile and the Rhine, all part of our commitment to innovation and investment in the future of river cruising.

But alongside this progress, we need to face a growing issue in the market: the race to the bottom on pricing. Too many operators are now offering rock-bottom, under-the-counter exclusive deals. It might fill capacity in the short term, but it devalues the product, erodes agent commissions, and teaches customers to expect unrealistic prices for holidays that are worth far more.

We all understand the pressures, oversupply, reliance on overseas markets like the US, and the temptation to dump capacity into the UK when other markets soften. But we must ask ourselves what that does to long-term confidence in our product and our partners.

At both APT and Travelmarvel, we are not immune to market forces, and we continue to participate in discounting where necessary, but we do so mostly in a value-added way, and our ASPs continue to rise each year. Whether it’s exclusive inclusions, enhanced service, or added experiences, we focus on increasing value rather than cutting price. It’s the new ticket to play, even if I don’t encourage it but it’s the right way to remain competitive without devaluing what makes river cruising special.

River cruising is booming, and that’s something to celebrate. But if we don’t protect the value of what we sell, the industry risks turning its greatest success story into its biggest problem. Together, let’s make sure this wave of growth lifts everyone; agents, brands, and customers alike, and doesn’t wash away the worth that we have all worked so hard to build.

Paul Melinis is UK and Europe managing director of APT Luxury and Travelmarvel