As river cruise lines continue to expand their global offerings beyond the traditional Europe market — the latest example being Avalon Waterways inking a partnership on the Peruvian Amazon — we are reminded that in many places around the world where these lines are simply chartering vessels for short cruises, the service they provide is really just that of a good tour operator.
Look at the Chinese river cruise market, for example. River cruise lines such as Avalon, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection and Viking River Cruises that operate itineraries on the Yangtze are really just incorporating a three- or four-night cruises into a much longer land itinerary.
With these cruise-tours, river cruise lines such as Avalon and Uniworld that are owned by companies (the Globus Family of Brands and Travel Corp., respectively) that also own tour operators are often partnering with those tour companies to execute the land portion of the trip. 
AmaWaterways and Viking, which are stand-alone river cruise companies, are relying on their own supplier negotiations and relationships to execute the land arrangements.
Whereas in Europe river cruise lines have either total ownership of their fleets or total involvement in the ships’ design and management, in destinations like China, Southeast Asia, Egypt and the Amazon, river cruise operators are often using local cruise companies as suppliers, like any other supplier, such as hotels, ground operators and transfer companies.
And tour operators do the exact same thing with river cruises in the exact same destinations.
So why would customers necessarily book these destinations with a river cruise line vs. a traditional tour operator? The truth is that river cruise lines have gained a solid reputation as much for their tour operating skills as for their river cruise operations. The success of the river cruise market is due not just to the elevating quality of the hardware but to the quality of the overall vacation experience — everything from the excursions to the guides to the pre- and post-extensions.
Funny, because river cruise lines often tout the advantages of river cruising over escorted touring. But sometimes, river cruising and touring don’t actually look all that different.