DANUrB+ participated at the international sector event “Danube Business Talks” on October 13th, 2021. It was held online and the organizers from Via Donau and Federal Ministry Republic of Austria invited a lot of public and private stakeholders on the live stage, so they can present and discuss the current situation, problems, and perspectives of passenger shipping, cargo shipping, and tourism along the Danube River.

Some of the discussed topics were about Priorities of the European Commission Regarding the Danube corridor, Challenges for Inland Navigation, Solutions for a Fresh Start after the Corona Crisis, Inland Navigation in Europe and Its Resilience, etc. All these were connected by the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the business. The one that was struck the hardest was the passenger/cruise shipping with 85.7% decline (for 2020) in the sector.

The companies had to fight the ongoing slogan: “Don’t go on a cruise ship…”. They had to prove that it is safe as any other transport (plane, train, etc.), that it has unique diversity of the experience (landscape, safety, convenience, high levels of hygiene standards, good food, etc.). There is a new trend of desire for “life seeing”, not “site seeing”, making the most of the outside spaces after all the lockdowns and restrictions. Retaining the staff is a major problem but it is still attractive for adventurous people, those who like to change, and it is still well-paid. The promotion should concentrate on sustainability, e.g., ships with green certificates, digitalization of services.

The Lower Danube is also considered as future attractive destination. The booking numbers for 2022 show that there is still trust in the product. The cargo shipping, on the other hand, didn’t suffer any decrease because of the crisis. On the contrary, the authorities prioritized it and were very quick in organizing the green corridors for transporting products and goods. The problems are related to the climate/weather (droughts, level of water, etc.), to the ageing staff, and to the lack of innovation and modernization (especially on some ports on the Lower Danube). The reduce of CO2 emissions is a major issue as the waterway transport should keep its position as the most emission friendly one (working on better afterburning systems, etc.).

There were total of 152 registered participants representing the various sectors debated on the conference (more stakeholders joined the live event online). It was possible for all of them to ask questions and arrange personal virtual business meetings or send messages in private rooms, so they can negotiate and discuss on professional level.

DANUrB+ project’s activities and initiatives are deeply related to the development of tourism in the shrinking cities along the Danube Region and the current situation of this sector, as well as transportation is of fair interest and attention. The project was presented by the Communication Manager of National Tourism Cluster “Bulgarian Guide”, who made a few contacts with some of the passenger and transport companies, such as Rius Cruise & Incoming Services GmbH, Viking River Cruises, Bulgarian-Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Danube Cruises Romania, IG RiverCruise Association, etc., presenting the ideas and outputs of the initiative. He also discussed the possibility of a cruise on the Lower Danube, involving partners and stakeholders, which will be not only thematical for the project, but it will also support the promotion and recovery of the cruise shipping along the River. 

You can find more about the event on the link: https://www.danubebusinesstalks.org/

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Project co-funded by European Union funds (ERDF and IPA).