Is THIS the way we will holiday in future? Travel experts reveal cruise trends for 2016

Bookings are up by eight per cent, an increase of more than 10,000, taking the total to 150,300 in 2015 says CLIA.

Europe remains the most popular region, with 87 per cent of UK river cruise passengers heading for the Continent.

And the River Danube is where most want to go, thanks to its major attractions such as Budapest, Vienna and several Austrian and German wine destinations.

The number of UK bookings for the Danube was up by 38 per cent, while bookings for the Rhone and Seine rivers rose by 30 per cent.