It feels a bit like deja-vu writing this blog post but Viking River Cruises has announced that it is once again expanding the fleet further, with the number of new vessels in 2014 due to launch increasing from 12 to 14.

It’s a sign of the times and it shows how popular river cruising is becoming, as the fastest-growing element of the travel industry. The new ships are being added to the scheduled launches simply to cater to the huge demand – even with a combined total of 30 new ships by the end of 2014 there are more people looking for river cruises than there are cabins available.

Torstein Hagen, the chairman of Viking River Cruises and possibly one of the happiest men in the whole industry at the minute, said “We are working hard to match supply with demand, and with these new builds, we have the best designed, newest and most extensive offer of ships on the rivers – more than double all our competitors combined.

“More than ever, travellers want experiences that bring them closer to the destination, which is why we continue to design ships and itineraries with destinations and enrichment as the focus.”

It’s estimated that the number of river cruise passengers is increasing by around 9% every year, which is a huge amount when you think about it and it’s no wonder Viking River Cruises is able to afford all of these brand new, state-of-the-art ships, alongside their new venture into the ocean cruise market.

The cruise line is clearly set up to dominate the river cruise market in the coming years, as well as make serious in-roads into ocean cruising if the new ships are successful, starting with the Viking Star in 2015. The new ships will sail the most popular rivers in Europe, including the Rhine and the Danube.

By Ian Lewis
Google