From humble beginnings using a chartered vessel for day sailings out of Strasbourg, Schmitter developed and expanded the business into what is now CroisiEurope, among the global market leaders in river cruising with a fleet of 28 vessels and more than 1,000 employees.

In 1976, Schmitter established Alsace Croisières, France’s first river tourism venture. By chartering Le Strasbourg, a vessel belonging to the Port of Strasbourg, he established a Strasbourg-Plobsheim connection offering lunch and afternoon dancing on board.

Six years later, Schmitter acquired his own ship, L’Alsace I. Initially it operated between Lauterbourg and Plobsheim, a route later extended to Rudesheim in Germany.

In 1984 the first river cruise ships with cabins were obtained. The Hansi, Kléber and Petite France started to operate long-distance cruises on the Rhine to the Netherlands.

Schmitter’s enterprise subsequently went through a dynamic growth phase and gradually extended its operations to new destinations, including the Danube in 1991.

In 1997, the regional Alsace Croisières company rebranded into CroisiEurope and gained a European dimension. Two years later, Schmitter handed the company over to his children, Patrick, Philippe, Christian and Anne-Marie.

In announcing their father’s death, the family expressed their intention to continue to develop CroisiEurope and build on the achievements of its founder.

‘If Gérard Schmitter has died, his flame still shines and his spirit is still alive and well,’ the Schmitter family and staff of CroisiEurope said in a statement.