When the line’s 2028 programme goes on sale on 15 October, sailings of four-, seven- and 10-night durations will be offered on the Seine onboard Tui Elara.

Katie Berzins, Head of Tui River Cruises, revealed the addition of the Seine river was in response to customer feedback.

“We speak to customers time and again, and this is the river that has become our most requested one – not just from new customers who are looking to take a river cruise holiday, but also our repeat customers,” she said.

“There are few rivers in the world that can connect a famous city like Paris with beautiful areas that combine art, food, and history like the Seine. From Paris to Rouen and through Normandy, it really will give an extraordinary mix of those iconic attractions with authentic experiences along the way,” she added.

Berzins also announced the names of two further ships which are to join the fleet in 2028: Tui Zora which will make its debut on the Rhine in May 2028, and Tui Velara which will launch on the Danube in August that same year. 

She confirmed Tui’s newest river ships will have the lowest draft of any of the fleet, making them more capable of coping with low water levels.

She also refuted suggestions that the proliferation of new ships on Europe’s rivers has created an overcrowding problem.

“If you look at the amount of capacity in terms of docking spaces on the rivers in general, there is a lot of space; it's about clever planning," Berzins continued. 

"The more that we grow, yes, there is going to be more competition for those docking spaces…we need to work together as an industry to make sure that we're planning those docking locations correctly,” she insisted.