A-ROSA: 2019 was a great year for business

Rostock, 10 February 2020 – The A-ROSA Group has registered substantial business growth for the sixth year in a row. In 2019 its total turnover was up 10 per cent on the previous year and its operating result also rose considerably once again. All twelve ships, which sail the Danube, Rhine/Main/Moselle, Rhône/Saône, Seine and Douro, had very high occupancy rates all year round. “We broke our record, with a cabin occupancy rate of over 90 per cent across the whole fleet,” commented Jörg Eichler, managing director and partner of A-ROSA Flussschiff GmbH. “The number-one region of operation was our newest, the Douro, where we exceeded our ambitious revenue target significantly. The A-ROSA ALVA was almost fully booked between May and October. And demand for 2020 and 2021 is also very high. We’ve clearly added a destination to our portfolio that’s an absolute must-see.”

More than 100 A-ROSA family cruises took place in 2019, 56 of them on international ships, and they are also proving to be increasingly popular. A total of 2,550 children enjoyed a stay on board with their parents and grandparents and discovered the loveliest cities and regions that Europe has to offer.

“We’re particularly pleased that we were able to further increase our guests’ level of satisfaction. Over two-thirds of those surveyed fill in our very detailed questionnaires, helping us to keep refining the A-ROSA experience,” explained Eichler. The company maintained its good to very good results in all categories, and it even managed to improve its results in important areas such as food and drink, excursions and entertainment. As a consequence, overall satisfaction also increased.

“Thanks to our new region of operation and offers such as family cruises we were also able to expand our target group. We intend to continue down this path in 2020, which is why we have overhauled our entertainment concept,” added Eichler. As well as adding a large number of new excursions for a more individual experience and organising a singer-songwriter contest that will allow guests on all seven-night Danube and Rhine cruises from April to October to experience two high-quality live performances, A-ROSA has introduced new themed cruises for the off-season, including murder mystery cruises, secret event tours and impro cruises. “The decision to offer an exciting programme at no extra cost on cruises in March, April and November – when the weather tends to be less appealing – has been very well received. For March and April 2020 the percentage increase in bookings is well into double figures,” explained Eichler. Overall bookings for the 2020 season had already reached more than 60 per cent of the annual target by the end of January.