“It’s a disaster, just a disaster,” – that’s how the representatives of a fairly popular type of tourism in Western Europe – river cruises, as well as restaurants and other businesses accompanying them – assess the results of this summer and the tourist season. The water level in rivers, lakes and reservoirs throughout Western Europe is at an extremely low level, and many have simply dried up altogether. As a result, the worst drought in recent decades has had an almost fatal effect on river tourism.
As an example, the Reuter agency cites the situation on the Doux River, a tributary of the French Saône River. The river flows through picturesque places on the border between Switzerland and France and is regularly plying by cruise ships. Tourists admire the canyon and waterfalls and spend money at local restaurants and more.
However, this year, after several months without rain, the Dou River has become completely unnavigable in some places, reduced to a narrow stream that “lazily reaches” the lake. As a result, local cruise companies are forced to take tourists overland to the point where the river becomes navigable. Walks have become “much shorter”, tourists complain. And local business complains about losses.
“It’s a disaster, just a disaster,” said local restaurateur Christophe Valliet, who had been counting on this season to recover from the COVID-19 downturn.
“We hope that this summer is really an exception to the rule,” added Saut Du Doubs CEO Françoise Dro-Bartolet. She also reported that bookings are 20% lower than usual for this time of year.