FORT LAUDERDALE — River cruise line representatives pointed to new and exotic destinations, from Colombia to Italy to India, during a panel discussion at CruiseWorld on Thursday.
As moderator Brinley Hineman, river cruise editor at Travel Weekly, put it: "River cruising isn't just for Europe anymore."
Kristin Karst, the chief brand officer of AmaWaterways, was the first to speak during the panel. She and chairman Rudi Schreiner have been outspoken in the line's quest for new river destinations, and the line just launched its second ship on the Magdalena River in Colombia, the AmaMelodia.
"It's always great to be the first one somewhere," Karst said.
"The beauty of river cruising lies in discovery," she said. "Colombia and the Rio Magdalena, it's just the latest example." She name-checked other non-Europe rivers for AmaWaterways, such as the Chobe in southern Africa, the Nile in Egypt and the Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia.
Riviera Travel, meanwhile, is just beginning to branch out: It has a new itinerary on the Mekong River in 2027, its first sailing that is not on European waterways. "It's already very well received by our travel partners," said Marilyn Conroy, Riviera's executive vice president of business development.
The discussion moved to China, as Ken Shapiro, the editorial director at Northstar and a co-moderator, shone a spotlight on Yangtze River specialist Century Cruises. After a lengthy, Covid-related pause, China is again open for travel, and Century is "reintroducing" the country to the trade, said David Fredericks, the president and general manager of the Americas. "It's been more about promoting the destination as a whole, showing the beauty of China," he said of Century's marketing strategy.
Arjun Sinsinwar, the chief inspiration officer at Antara, moved to the front of the stage as he grew animated about cruising in India, describing the cultural, natural and spiritual touch points travelers can experience during a voyage there.
He noted that India is perhaps "not someone's first choice as a river cruise destination. It's someone who's well-traveled, perhaps someone who has not fully traveled to India before. Someone who perhaps has done other rivers and now is looking for that next frontier, that next destination."
What's new in Europe?
But as the discussion continued, it was made clear that there are European rivers still to discover. Viva Cruises will begin cruising Italy's Po River in 2027, with Venice as a base. John Dennis, Viva's vice president of sales for the U.S., Canada and South America, described it as something "uniquely different."
And it's not just new rivers: New products were also on the table. For example, some lines are experimenting with expanded seasons. At Avalon Waterways, senior director of key accounts Richard Hickey described the line's new Cozy Collection, which offers voyages in October and November, the months before Christmas market cruises begin. He said the demand was so strong, all its ships on the Rhine, Main and Danube would be put into service during its Cozy season.