Rhine

Munich was selected on Saturday ahead of the Cologne/Rhine-Ruhr region as the German candidate city in a national bid to host the Summer Olympic Games in 2036, 2040 or 2044. It would be a return of the Olympics to Munich, which hosted the 1972 Summer Games. Cologne/Rhine-Ruhr lost out in the domestic selection, with a final international decision still to come.

Question is being raised over whether the river cruise sector, a fast-growing part of European tourism, faces structural long-term threats from climate change. Recurring droughts and low water levels on major rivers such as the Rhine and Danube have already disrupted sailings in recent years, prompting debate about the industry's future viability if such conditions become more frequent.