Page 12 - 2026 European River Report

Aboard company ships there are
no children, no casinos and the fare
is more-or-less all inclusive.
Also important is control or
priority access to 110 docking
locations, mostly in Europe, and
thus giving the company a strategic
advantage.
As of September, and heading
into 2026, advanced bookings for
the company’s river operation were
5 percent higher than the year pri-
or, despite a 9 percent increase in
operating capacity days.
For 2026, 45 percent of the river
inventory was sold as of late Au-
gust 2025, according to a company
presentation. Pricing is up, at $940
per day, compared to $887 a year Our delivery strategy is built on
prior.
selective expansion, focusing on
FROM 4 destinations that align with the
“When you consider that we
started with just four river ships Viking brand and resonate with
in 1997, our growth over the years culturally curious travelers.
has been a remarkable achievement
and one we are very proud of,” said
Torsten Hagen, chairman, speaking PAYBACK vessel will have capacity for 80
on Viking’s second quarter earn- “Our delivery strategy is built guests.
ings call. on selective expansion, focusing “The India offering is not large
“A key reason behind our sus- on destinations that align with the in terms of immediate scale, but
tained success is that our vision has Viking brand and resonate with this addition is not about volume,”
remained consistent. Travel should culturally curious travelers,” Ha- said Hagen.
focus on the destination. We are gen continued. “This means going In addition is an operation on
also fortunate to have very loyal beyond our well-traveled Europe- the Mississippi, another 12 ocean
guests, travelers who return to an routes and deepening our pres- going ships ranging from 930 to
Viking time and time again. And ence in high-value, less explored 998 guests, plus orders for 10 more
most importantly, our continued regions. through 2031 and options for four
growth is a result of the hard work “In Egypt, the Nile continues additional ships between 2032 and
and dedication of our teams around to be a strong performer. We now 2033.
the world.” have seven ships in operation and CFO Leah Talactac pointed out
While the company continues plan to deliver five more by 2027, on the company’s second quarter,
to add capacity into Europe, it is underscoring our confidence in the August 2025 earnings call that the
now branching out further. long-term demand for this iconic payback on the ships was appeal-
“The recent ship deliveries and destination. On the Mekong River, ing.
new itinerary offerings in India are through Vietnam and Cambodia, “We want good value for mon-
a testament to the fact that our river we currently operate one vessel ey and our payback on our ships
business remains fundamental to with another scheduled for deliv- reflect that our pricing is also quite
our identity and continues to be a ery later this year.” strong. Our payback for ocean ves-
key growth engine and brand dif- The company’s India operation sels is five to six years. Payback
ferentiator,” said Hagen. “We now gets going with one ship in 2027, for rivers is four to five years,” she
operate on 21 rivers worldwide.” with a second joining in 2028. Each said. 

18 Cruise Industry News: 2026 European River Market Report