Leading cruise company enters river cruise market

'The cruise market ten years ago’ is how experts are describing the current river cruising sector and is the reason why cruise specialist CRUISE.co.uk has launched its first ever foray into river cruising. Already the leading online cruise website in the UK, the company believes the river cruise sector is set for extensive growth, so it is launching content, news, deals, reviews and discussion forums specifically targeting river cruising.

The move is the latest in a line of expansion announcements from CRUISE.co.uk which in February set a new British record for the highest ever price paid for a .co.uk domain name (£560,000 for CRUISES.co.uk).

Lisa Merrick, Marketing Manager at CRUISE.co.uk said: “It is well documented that the demand in the UK for cruise holidays has been growing exponentially for a decade – but that growth will slow.

“River cruising on the other hand is at a point where sea cruising was ten years ago – the market is expanding rapidly and we believe it is the next big growth area for the travel industry.

“A key factor for this is the typical river cruise passenger – they are predominantly an older customer and we know that the over 55 age group is the fastest growing demographic in the UK, with large disposable incomes.

“There are now more river cruising vessels currently being built than cruise ships – what’s more, the standards have improved enormously and river cruise ships today are now like floating five-star hotels, but less like the anodyne high-rise hotels and more akin to floating boutique residences.

“This move is a significant development for us as a business as we aim to become the first port of call for anyone interested in every kind of cruise holiday around the world.”

In 2007 founder and chairman Andrew Gardner and MD Seamus Conlon (formerly MD of Airtours) were involved in a management buy out from Carnival Corporation who own and operate: P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Cunard Cruise Line, Ocean Village Holidays, Holland America and Carnival Cruises. The company now employs 70 staff and last year had a turnover of £57m.

In February, the purchase by CRUISE.co.uk of the plural version of its eponymous website from German travel company Nees Reisen for £560,000, shattered the previous record for a .co.uk domain name set in October 2007 when venture capital firm ASAP Ventures acquired the domain recycle.co.uk for £150,000.