Emerald Cruises has designed a series creative workshops, allowing guests to learn mosaic painting, scarf weaving and clog decoration while exploring the waterways of Europe and Asia. Olivia Palamountain reports

Emerald Cruises is helping travellers combine cultural exploration with creative skill development through a series of artistic workshops, available on its river cruises.

New for 2025 and 2026 departures, the luxury cruise operator has unveiled a programme of curated experiences designed to immerse guests in local traditions while learning new crafts specific to the regions they visit.

On the eight-day "Secrets of the Douro" sailing through Portugal, passengers can participate in a mosaic tile painting workshop while cruising along the celebrated waterway. This traditional Portuguese art form, historically used for storytelling, allows guests to create their own artistic souvenirs to take home.

The journey, priced from £2,095 per person for November 2025 departures, also includes visits to rural vineyards, hillside towns and guided tours through Salamanca, Porto and Lamego.For those venturing to Southeast Asia, the eight-day "Majestic Mekong" voyage offers a traditional scarf weaving workshop as guests cross from Cambodia into Vietnam.

 Silk weaving is a cultural symbol of the Mekong Delta region, with many artisans still practising traditional methods. This itinerary is available from £2,796 per person, with departures throughout 2025 and 2026.In northern Europe, the "Holland & Belgium in Bloom" sailing invites passengers to try their hand at clog painting, a Dutch cultural tradition.

The eight-day journey, priced from £1,995 per person for March 2026 departures, includes visits to Amsterdam's Keukenhof Gardens with its vast display of tulips, tours of Zaanse Schans windmills and an architectural exploration of Rotterdam.These artistic experiences form part of Emerald Cruises' wider programme of activities designed to provide authentic cultural immersion across its river cruise itineraries.

The company, which celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2024, operates nine Star-Ships that navigate the rivers of Europe and the Mekong, alongside luxury yachts sailing the Mediterranean, Adriatic, Caribbean and Central America.

The initiatives reflect a growing trend among luxury travel providers to offer experiential learning opportunities that allow guests to develop new skills while exploring destinations in greater depth.

According to a recent Expedia survey, 44% of travellers seek local goods they cannot find at home while on holiday.

With this in mind, the Japan National Tourism Organisation, is currently promoting the country's rich and plentiful artisanal traditions as a unique tourism draw. Highlighted crafts include gold leaf making and ancient paper crafting. Read Globetrender's full story here.