The river cruise industry needs an association

The travel industry seems to have an association for just about everything (home-based travel agents, destination wedding planners, adventure specialists, motorcoach companies, etc.), so it’s surprising that there isn’t a strong association specifically devoted to the thriving and increasingly complex river cruise market.

Of course, there is CLIA, of which a growing number of river cruise lines are members, including AmaWaterways, American Cruise Lines, Avalon Waterways, Tauck and Uniworld. But CLIA traditionally has been focused on issues that pertain to the cruising industry at large and on ocean cruising.

An organization called IG River Cruise, based in Basel, Switzerland, has attempted to bring together river cruise companies to address issues of standardization, training, safety and environmental protection as well as to promote and market river cruising. But IG River Cruise represents only European river cruise interests.

In 2012, CLIA formed the Specialty Cruise Collection for CLIA member lines that are considered niche and/or specialty-oriented, including the river cruise category, which gives the group a forum to meet as needed.

But in the river cruising industry, there are actually numerous issues that would benefit from a higher degree of collaboration and from the formation of an organization specifically devoted to river cruising that would ultimately help the industry grow better and more responsibly going forward.

For instance, the issue of crowding in the ports of Europe as more river cruise vessels are launched year after year needs to be addressed from a collaborative perspective. Additionally, environmental concerns as more river cruise ships come online should also start being tackled with greater seriousness.

River cruise companies might gain from a unified lobbying effort, something that could help them navigate the regulatory complexities of operating itineraries that often run through several countries.

The list goes on and on. It seems only a matter of time before some kind of river cruise organization takes flight. It would be really surprising if it didn’t.