TUI River Cruises has increased capacity for its winter 2023 programme due to increased demand.
The operator has added seven festive sailings, which are on sale now, following a 30 per cent increase in bookings, year on year.
TUI Skyla will now operate new five-night itineraries sailing from Mainz and calling “at some of Europe’s biggest and best Christmas markets”, the line said, including Frankfurt, Cologne and Dusseldorf.
In addition, TUI Skyla will also be offering two seven-night sailings covering Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
TUI River Cruises boosting opportunities
TUI UK & I managing director of cruise Chris Hackney said: “We are excited to be adding these additional sailings for winter 2023, giving more customers the opportunity to experience our fantastic river cruises.
“We’re seeing strong demand from customers, with bookings increasing by 30 per cent compared to last year, and we’ve responded to this appetite by increasing our offerings.
“These itineraries feature stops at fairytale cities and bustling Christmas markets, and we are confident they offer something for everyone”.
The river cruise line welcomed its third ship to the fleet last April, with the addition of TUI Isla.
Speaking to Cruise Trade News in November 2022, Hackney added: “The ships look absolutely fantastic, and the customer feedback has been phenomenal – exceeding expectations.
“We’re seeing new-to-river cruise customers come on board – the proposition we’ve got, with more flexibility to a traditional river cruise operation, has gone down well.”