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CLIA River Cruise Conference 2018 to be held in Paris

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CLIA's next river cruise conference is in Paris on November 10-11, 2018
The eighth annual CLIA UK & Ireland River Cruise Conference will be staged in Paris for the first time, on November 10 and 11.

The river cruise event will see senior cruise industry figures and travel agents coming together to learn about, and discuss, new developments and trends in this dynamic sector of the cruise industry.

River cruising undergoing a renaissance

Andy Harmer, svp membership and director CLIA UK & Ireland, said: 'River cruising is undergoing somewhat of a renaissance, with new ships, younger guests than ever before, and exciting new itinerary options. Thanks to astonishing growth seen in the sector in the past decade, the days of river being a marginal part of the cruise industry are over.

'Europe accounts for almost 90% of all river cruise itineraries for UK customers,' said Harmer.

'However, there is a growing interest in Asian river cruise itineraries, with British cruise numbers up by more than one-fifth (22%) to the region in 2017, compared to 2016, a trend which looks set to continue,' he added.

Spas and cinemas

The new generation river cruise ships feature cabins with balconies, interconnecting cabins, swimming pools, spas and cinemas, plus new land excursion options, such as exploring using the onboard fleets of bikes.

Harmer said: 'This type of innovation is key for the river cruise market, and we are already seeing new groups discovering the joys of river cruising including millennials, multi-generational family groups, and solo travellers.