Recently, APT announced a new ship designed to sail on Portugal’s Douro River, with Southern European-inspired interiors 4 . Riviera Travel also introduced the Porto Mirante, with a seven-night Douro itinerary 5 . The activity on the Douro has been picking up steadily. It’s possible that this is also due to the interest in Portugal’s wines as the Douro cuts through many of the European nation’s oldest demarcated wine regions, famous for its port wines but also now gaining recognition for its white wines from local grapes such as Malvasia Fina, Gouveia and Rabigato 6 . This is showing up in the share of advisors saying that the demand for river cruises in Portugal and Spain—where many of the Douro River cruises end—has gone up from 36% in 2023 to 44% in the current Outlook. Meanwhile, Germany, France and the Netherlands continue to be the most in-demand European destinations. 4 https://www.aptouring.com/voyage/ways-to-travel/apt-announces-new-douro-river-ship 5 https://www.rivercruising.co.uk/blog/river-cruise-news/riviera-launches-new-douro-ship-for-2024 6 https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/travel-news/river-cruising-takes-off-in-europe-s-port-wine-mecca-20240827-p5k5so.html Portugal is always very popular with our clients for river cruises. TOP EUROPEAN DESTINATIONS SOLD FOR RIVER CRUISES 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Russia Serbia Bulgaria United Kingdom Romania Croatia Italy The Czech Republic (Czechia) Switzerland Spain and Portugal Austria Hungary Netherlands France Germany 2023 2024 TRENDS IN RIVER CRUISE 2024 CHART 4 | 15