Barging is a very small segment of the cruise industry, but it?s growing exponentially. That said, given that a typical barge only holds four to 12 passengers, and there are only about 100 barges in operation, exponential growth can take place with the addition of just a few new boats.
? Laura Powell

Now this is slow travel. Some might call barging river cruising downsized, but it?s really its own unique sector of the water travel market.
Business booms in the country thanks to a network of preserved 17th and 18th century canals that cover the French countryside ? something you would expect from a country that takes its heritage seriously. A government agency maintains the canals and keeps them in order, largely for tourism.
While many of the hotel-style barges are independently owned, about half are part of larger fleets. European Waterways, the largest luxury hotel barging company in Europe,
has 17 craft. Belmond owns seven. France-based CroisiEurope, which has been operating river cruises for 47 years, introduced barging to its roster in 2013 and has grown to its fleet to six during the past four years.
Even though CroisiEurope has discovered barging, it may not be a fit for other river cruise companies.
?It works for us,? said Michael Da Costa, CroisiEurope?s manager of marketing for North America, ?because we are French and exploring the off-the-beaten-path areas in the country is part of our DNA.?
But barging may not work for all river cruise companies. That?s ...