River Cruising Continues European Growth    

The attractiveness of river cruises is continuously growing as the number of UK travellers taking a holiday on European and further afield waterways has grown by six per cent last year.

The number of British passengers taking river cruises has grown with 8,000 to total 139,400 in 2014 according to figures released by CLIA UK & Ireland.

Europe is leading the way as the most popular region for UK tourists to take river cruises, totaling 86 per cent of all passengers.

In Europe, the Danube's is becoming more popular, growing 41 per cent, while cruises on the Rhine soared by 37 per cent.

Cruises on Russian rivers benefitted from plenty UK tourists as well, rising 15 per cent, while, cruises on Asian rivers such as the Mekong are up 55 per cent, while Ganges and Brahmaputra are up 24 per cent.

A main reason for the increasing popularity of river cruises is the development of holiday experience with the introduction of new, bigger ships with superior on board amenities.

The stats say that a third of European cruise ships have been constructed within the last ten years while a quarter have been built in the last five.

These newer ships offer an array of dining venues, rich range of cabins and spa facilities, which have been merged to enhance the travel experience on many ocean, cruise ships.