1. VNF intends to keep gathering and publishing data/statistics about river tourism and tourism activities on land areas located in the immediate vicinity of a waterway (river cruising, kayaking, cycling, hiking, etc.) in collaboration with key public/private actors of the sector. 

2. Such commitment provides qualitative and quantitative information for the sector: types of fleets; volume of activity; share of foreign customers; economic spillover; favorite localities; economic outlook; etc. 

3. VNF publishes river tourism figures annually through the National Observatory of River Tourism (ONTF) and compares the results with national and international benchmarks from other national inland waterway authorities in the EU. Such activity is carried out in collaboration with Atout France, France's National Tourism Development Agency, to develop standardized and comparable data. 

In addition, VNF carries out every five years, for an average cost of €400 k, more specific socio-economic studies on the various sectors of river tourism such as houseboat rental, river cruisers, hotel barges, private navigation and pleasure boats (the last results were published in February 2020). From next year onwards, VNF will again conduct this work:
- Two studies in 2024 (about river cruisers and houseboat rental).
- Two studies in 2025 (about hotel barges and restaurant boats).
- A study about pleasure boating and one about river tourism in 2026.

Find here an executive summary of VNF’s socio-economic studies: https://www.vnf.fr/vnf/brochure-et-lettress/portraits-de-filieres/?preview_id=21414 

Find here a comprehensive overview of river tourism figures gathered on a yearly basis by VNF: https://www.vnf.fr/vnf/accueil/tourisme-fluvial/economie-du-secteur-tourisme/panorama-tendances-et-chiffres-cles-du-tourisme-fluvial/