European droughts could jeopardise cruising’s future
With much of Europe and the UK recording devastating droughts, plummeting water levels in rivers and lakes are posing a threat to trade, industry and another sector: tourism.
According to the European Union’s European Drought Observatory, around 63 percent of the land across the EU and UK, while the UK declared a drought in eight out of 14 areas shortly after.
One body of water hit hard by the hot and drying weather is the Rhine, an important trade route and a popular inclusion on cruise itineraries.
A critical juncture of the river at the German town of Kaub recorded water levels of just 36 centimetres over the weekend, sinking below the level at which commercial shipping becomes unprofitable.
Clare Weeden, a principal lecturer in tourism and marketing at the University of Brighton, told CNN that this isn’t news, with low levels on the Rhine and Daube rivers seeing cruise passengers bussed from one destination to another over the past five or six years.
"Anybody who operates river cruise boats would have had an understanding of this because of the way the climate has changed in the last 20 years," she explained.
But, with the coinciding rise of river cruising’s popularity with the climate crisis, Weeden said Europe’s traditional cruising is “definitely going to suffer”.
The situation is similar across Europe, with parts of France’s famed Loire river drying up almost completely and some canals being closed.
As for the Danube, emergency dredging is taking place on the lower river, through Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria, while the water levels in the Hungary stretch have meant that trade vessels, averaging 1600 tonnes, can only navigate the river without cargo.
While some cruises have been unaffected, passengers on some lines have been unable to travel to Budapest by water, instead being bussed or flown from other destinations.
In the UK, the source of the Thames has moved downriver by five miles (or eight metres), a first in the country’s history.
For those with tours lined up, don’t cancel just yet. Helen Prochilo of Promal Vacations suggests those who have booked their trips make regular calls to their river cruise line to check the conditions.
For visitors still considering booking a tour, Prochilo advises to book earlier in the season or simply wait until next year.
Susanne Etti, an environmental impact manager at Intrepid Travel, has called this year’s summer “a wake-up call for the entire sector”.
“Travel has a front row seat as climate change unfolds in the destinations we visit and, if this becomes a standard summer, it will massively impact our industry,” Etti said.
“Unless urgent action is taken on climate change, the reality is that extreme weather is going to have an impact on the destinations and communities we visit.”
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