Exceptional situations need joint solutions

Authors: Simon Hartl, Milica Nikolić, viadonau

In the last years passenger shipping on the Danube has experienced a steady and substantial growth. This positive development led not only to a regional added value and job creation, it also broadened the range of tourist products and services offered in the whole Danube region. As a reaction to the increasing demand for river cruises the Danube countries witnessed major private and public investments in the sector particularly linked to the upgrade of land-side infrastructure and the modernisation of the fleet.

But when the global COVID-19 pandemic hit Europe in spring 2020, all efforts made to start a successful touristic season perished. River cruise companies were confronted with a total blockage of passenger shipping on European waterways. In Austria the passenger shipping ban remained in force between 16 March and 29 May. But even after the blockage was lifted, the number of river cruises remained on a low level.

The cruise shipping sector reacted to these new challenges immediately: As early as in May IG RiverCruise and the European Barge Union (EBU) published a “Guideline for a Minimum Standard for the Resumption of River Cruises in Europe under Covid-19” which actually provides a sound and uniform concept for the restart of international river cruises based on health protection recommendations issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European Commission and official national authorities.

It became obvious at a very early stage of the pandemic that in addition to this clear guidance for shipping operations, an international alignment of border management and health protection measures along the whole Danube is urgently needed to ensure a sound framework and economic predictability on the side of the river cruise operators.

To this end Priority Area 1a of the EU’s Danube Region Strategy which is coordinated by the Ministries of Transport in Austria and Romania together with viadonau started an initiative to align the reactivation of the cruise shipping sector on international level. In its Steering Group meeting which took place on 19 May representatives from the European Commission, the Danube Commission, the Member States as well as from the shipping sector discussed necessary measures enabling river cruise operators to restart operations.

Unfortunately, at the beginning of September the next wave of steadily rising infections has reached Europe just when the river cruise sector had adapted its touristic services to these new challenging circumstances as good as possible and just when the planning of the next tourist season started. New entry restrictions introduced without sufficient advance warning time once more prevented reliable tour plans for river cruises.

Despite the currently unfavourable conditions, viadonau counts on a swift recovery of this economic branch once the impacts of this global pandemic are notably contained and under control. Therefore, viadonau will sustain its current efforts to improve fairway conditions, to upgrade land-side infrastructure and to support the elimination of administrative barriers for river cruises along the entire Danube, in order to be prepared when passenger transport on the Danube is on the rise again.