It’s not just ocean cruise lines celebrating record sales lately — river cruise line AmaWaterways is having similar success this year.
In fact, the line started its 2024 European season early and had its highest single month of reservations ever in January, topping January 2023 sales by a staggering 27%.
“2024 is off to an amazing start, as January marks our most successful month of bookings in our 22 years of history,” said Kristin Karst, co-founder and executive vice president of AmaWaterways. “We have been able to handle this surge in demand and provide excellent service to our travel advisors partners by hiring and training additional river cruise specialists for the call center and doubling the size of our dedicated AmaAir team.”
January marks our most successful month of bookings in our 22 years of history.
AmaWaterways’ call volume also saw record levels in January 2024, increasing 18% over the same month last year while still managing wait times of 11 seconds on average. The river cruise line cites its Complimentary Land Package offer for the wave season as a contributor to the latest numbers (which is available through the end of March).
To further assist travel agents in their sales endeavors, AmaWaterways has new tools available for advisors, including digital marketing toolkits and a quick payment process system that is available on the AmaWaterways travel advisor portal. There’s also a fresh online booking engine for guests that supports 24/7 reservations on advisors’ co-branded websites.
Where AmaWaterways Is Sailing in 2024
As part of its expanded 2024 season, AmaWaterways is already sailing on the Danube and Rhine rivers. AmaMagna is navigating between Budapest, Hungary and Vilshofen, Germany, along the Danube, while AmaLucia is sailing the Rhine, heading between Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Basel, Switzerland.
Also featured this year is a sixth French itinerary: the new Flavors of Burgundy on the Saone River, during which foodies can visit the likes of Tournus, Macon and Lyon while enjoying regional cuisine and wine onboard.
And not to be forgotten are AmaWaterways’ two new ships scheduled to come online later this year: AmaMagdalena in Colombia, and AmaLilia in Egypt.
“As an entrepreneurial, family-owned and -operated company committed to innovation and guest satisfaction, we are proud to offer our travel partners and their clients new itineraries to discover, new ships to enjoy and new tools and support services to get them started on their river cruise journeys even more quickly,” added Karst. “With the Complimentary Land Package offer, our ships are filling up quickly and our wonderful Cruise Managers and crew are eager to welcome our guests onboard for a most memorable vacation experience.”
