The Mystic Cruises-owned German river travel company Nicko Cruises (fleet) was accepted as a member of CLIA Europe (a division of CLIA-Cruise Lines International Association).
The partnership will enhance the brand's popularity across Europe, bringing it into the wider community of travel agents, cruise lines and CLIA's executive partners.
For 25+ years, the Stuttgart-based Nicko Cruises brand specializes in riverboat cruising as its all-inclusive vessels have max passenger capacity 50-125, with German and English spoken onboard and no-fly options available from the UK.
Nicko became one of the world's first cruise operators to restart passenger shipping operations in 2020. It introduced a 10-point health & safety plan to ensure passenger wellbeing, which complies with international and national standards.
Andy Harmer (CLIA UK & Ireland's Director) said they were delighted to have Nicko Cruises join CLIA. He added they were a well-established, premium brand providing guests with unique river cruise experiences.
"We look forward to supporting them as they develop and build relationships with the trade across Europe.
“Their addition to CLIA’s membership is testament to the continued desire for travellers to cruise, and their confidence that the industry will always have the health and safety of passengers and crew as the number one priority.”
Rupert Thomson, managing director of river cruise specialist company Light Blue Travel (representing Nicko in the UK), said that Nicko Cruises was very well known in the German market and they were "keen, with the help of CLIA, to raise awareness of the brand to a wider international audience."