Growth in Tourism On the Danube

Growth in tourism on and along the Danube
As of the end of 2006, a total of about 200,000 cruise ship passengers are expected to have visited Vienna. Linz recorded a total of 492 dockings and 95,550 passengers, while Serbia had 501 cruise liner arrivals bringing some 60,000 passengers to Belgrade, Novi Sad, the Iron Gates, and the new Donji Milanovac pier. The Croatian Danube again experienced an increase in passenger traffic with 158 dockings and 17,877 passengers in Vukovar (14,281 in 2005).

Peter Deilmann Cruises reported carrying 10,300 passengers aboard its ships Mozart, Donauprinzessin and Casanova. Seacloud cruises showed the Danube to almost 1,200 guests on the River Cloud and River Cloud II. In October, Plantours welcomed over 260 passengers aboard the Swiss Crystal.

The main source markets of Danube cruise passengers in 2006 were Germany, the USA (growing tendency), UK, France, Scandinavia, the Netherlands (growing tendency), Austria and, namely in August, Italy and Spain. Along the river, as for example in the Bavarian Danube valley, over 50% of all arrivals in the region were from Germany, USA, the Low Countries, Italy, Switzerland, United Kingdom and Japan.

Wiebke Harms of Nicko Tours, which will operate six ships on the Danube in 2007, reports "about ninety percent of our guests come from Germany and Switzerland and the remaining ten percent from Spain, Turkey, Russia and the United States. They especially enjoy the land programs, getting to know the regions they travel through and their peoples, in addition to the fine food and comfort they find aboard ship.

About 64,000 of our passengers, sixty-four percent of the total, select the Danube as their destination. Of this number, some forty percent select five to eight-day cruises, with classic one-week tours accounting for the greatest proportion. In 2006 we offered only a few two-week cruises to the Danube delta; occupancy was good however, and this year we plan to increase the number of such cruises using our three new ships".

This growth in tourism on and along the Danube is due in no small measure to initiatives undertaken by the Danube Tourist Commission in co-operation with shipping companies to prolong the cruise season. With the Christmas and New Year's period the sailing season now lasts from early March through early January. Cruise companies have also developed a variety of attractive theme trips focusing on Christmas, music (Mozart in particular in 2006), nature (gardens), sports (cycling, golf, etc.), and food and wine.

Excursion ships have profited both from growing interest in the Danube and the extended cruise season.

To date 113 liners have already registered to cruise the Danube during the 2007 season, with more expected and many new ships plying the river.

All river cruises can be booked by contacting Lighthouse Travel at 800-719-9917.