AmaWaterways has confirmed the delay of its launch in Colombia on the Magdalena River by two months, with the first of two ships set to now debut in January 2025.

AmaWaterways’ establishment of an Australian beachhead and alignment with Virtuoso in this region has been a pipedream of the business for years, says Gary Murphy, Co-Owner and SVP of Sales for the river cruise operator.

Global investment firm, L Catterton, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire a significant stake in luxury river cruise company, AmaWaterways, from a consortium of investors led by Certares.

AmaWaterways has officially launched its sales and marketing presence in the Australian and New Zealand markets with the appointment of an Australian-based team of seasoned travel executives.AMA

AmaWaterways has offered insights on several key trends that are setting the stage for a prosperous future for the river cruise industry. The trends list comes as AmaWaterways prepares for a robust 2024 which includes the earliest start to a European river cruise season for the brand when two ships commence operations on the Danube and the Rhine from 11 February.

AmaWaterways is boosting its inaugural ‘Soulful Experience in France’ this summer, with the luxury river cruise line releasing a new addition to the 2024 lineup of Soulful Experience river cruise and land packages celebrating Black history and culture along the rivers.

AmaWaterways has released digital editions of its 2025 Brochure, which features the introduction of two state-of-the-art ships, AmaMelodia in Colombia and AmaSintra in Portugal. The guide also features a diverse range of new and returning European river cruise experiences.

AmaWaterways has named Steve Richards as Managing Director, Australia and New Zealand, based in Sydney. Richards will move directly from ocean to river cruising into the newly created position, starting at the end of November.

AmaWaterways has released details on a series of new combination cruises in Europe debuting in 2025 in response to guests seeking longer trips. The new “Grand” series of 14-night itineraries, including Grand Seine & Bordeaux, Grand Seine & Rhône and Grand Rhine & Dutch Canals, are attractively priced and include convenient transfers between rivers where applicable.

APT says it will build two new river ships that will launch in Europe in 2025. The decision coincides with the entry of AmaWaterways to the Australian market under its own steam, detailed exclusively by LATTE last week.

AmaWaterways is set to make a bigger splash in the Australian market, with the US-headquartered river cruise line establishing a dedicated office in Australia in 2024.