Viking River Cruises was founded in 1997 by industry veteran Torstein Hagen, who continues to serve as chairman and CEO. A Norwegian of Viking descent, Mr. Hagen discovered river cruising after many years spent travelling the world by land, air and sea; it quickly became his favourite way to see the world. Mr. Hagen’s Viking heritage and his first voyage of discovery as a river traveller played a key role in the founding of Viking River Cruises. The company began with the purchase of four ships in Russia then expanded significantly in 2000 with the acquisition of KD River Cruises, a European company with over 180 years of river cruising experience.
Today, Viking is the world’s leading river cruise company, with a fleet of 21 deluxe ships and more destinations than any other river cruise line. Viking River Cruises has also consistently been the recipient of industry awards, customer accolades, and praise from travel agents. A multiple recipient of the prestigious Travel + Leisure ‘World’s Best’ award, Viking River Cruises has also made the Conde Nast Traveler (US) 'Gold' List on numerous occasions and was voted ‘Best River Cruise Line’ by CruiseCritic.com for two consecutive years.
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