Hydrogen, a solution for the future of river tourism? The sector has just taken a first step: that of making available to the general public a first hydrogen boat without a license, capable of navigating on French canals. This is happening in the south of Burgundy. At the end of April 2023, Les Canalous, a rental and builder of pleasure boats in France and Europe, inaugurated the "William Grove", the first boat of this type to run on hydrogen. Equipped with a table, chairs, a sun awning and sanitary facilities, it can accommodate between 2 and 12 people, for a day of navigation in complete autonomy.
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The boat, which has a fuel cell, is available for charter until the end of the season in October. It left Digoin, in the Saône-et-Loire region, after a short introduction to piloting just before. And could be a compelling alternative for eco-friendly visitors. Because Digoin is at the confluence of three canals and the nuggets that accompany them: the Canal du Centre to Paray-le-Monial, the Canal de Roanne to Digoin and the Canal latéral à la Loire.
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River tourism, the spearhead of "slow tourism"
Innovation could in any case seduce, while "slow tourism" (a way of traveling where you take your time) is one of the major trends of 2023. It is in this perspective that river tourism is inscribed, which has achieved a very good summer 2022, with an increase of 5% to 7% in the activity of river rental companies compared to 2019, according to the Federation of Nautical Industries.
For its part, the specialized site Click and Boat completed a first quarter of 2023, with a 54% increase in its volume of activity compared to last year. This foreshadows the next fruitful months for the sector.