Smaller ships, intimate itineraries woo more travelers

By Catey Hill

Over the past five years, river cruises have seen a 10% annual passenger increase, says Christine Duffy, CEO of the Cruise Line International Association, a leading industry group, while the cruise industry as a whole averaged growth of about 7% per year.

European cruises (the most popular river cruise subcategory) have been the most-frequently booked luxury trip so far for 2013, according to a study by Travel Leaders Group, a consortium of travel agents, beating out ocean cruises on the Mediterranean and Baltic. More than one third of travel agents in that study said that river cruises were one of the top three destinations they’d booked for this year. [Read the Full Article Here]