The Danube Tourist Commission held its 13th Danube Travel Mart this January in Vienna.

Tourism on the river and along the banks of the Danube is on the rise. For the 2006 season, 109 cruise liners are scheduled to call at ports on the Danube, up from 75 ships in 2003, according to the Danube Tourist Commission, a marketing and communications platform for the entire Danube region. Additionally, 12 new ships will be added to the number cruising the Danube.

Further increases are expected for the middle and lower courses of the Danube in 2006, especially tourists from overseas. Ursula Deutsch, General Secretary of the Danube Tourist Commission, attributes part of this increase to the opening of the Novi Sad pontoon bridge. “For the first time in ten years cruise programmes are planned to the Danube Delta”, says Deutsch.

The Tourist Commission celebrated the positive tourism numbers at its 13th Danube Travel Mart held this January in Vienna. The highlight of the trade fair was the preview of the film Danube – A River for Europe, the film on the Danube. The film, the first in a series of 13, was produced by Seppia Film and Zinnober TV in collaboration with 13 broadcasting stations and numerous national and regional tourism associations and institutions, including the Danube Tourist Commission.

“The film highlights the delights of the culinary Danube, and we were excited to be able to showcase the film at the Travel Mart,” says Deutsch.

Kirstie Shepherd
is a freelance journalist and the Editor of Danube Watch.
She has called the Danube River Basin home since 2000.