| AmaWaterways to launch in ANZ

RIVER cruise juggernaut AmaWaterways will next month establish an Australian office and begin selling its full portfolio in the region, Cruise Weekly can exclusively reveal.

The move was confirmed by AmaWaterways Director Gary Murphy (pictured), who yesterday told CW the company’s long-time partner and shareholder, Australian Pacific Holdings (APH), has “chosen not to charter our ships past 2024”.

APT Travel Group, a subsidiary of APH, has represented the AmaWaterways product in Australia for many years, under a long-standing exclusive partnership initiated in 2005 when founder Geoff McGeary invested in the company alongside Brendan Vacations and co-founders Rudi Schreiner and Kristin Karst.

In 2017 private equity giant Certares became the fourth investor in AmaWaterways, and in 2021 a restructure of the shareholdings saw APH’s stake diluted to about 8%.

Murphy will visit Australia in Sep to set up the new office, which will be modelled on AmaWaterways’ trade-friendly British model.

“All of our business will be coming via the travel advisor community,” he said, adding that the change will also see the full AmaWaterways product range offered in Australia.

“We’ll still offer the very popular Magnificent Europe itinerary, but we also have lots of seven-day cruises that line up perfectly with other seven-day cruises,” he said.

AmaWaterways also has new ships on the Nile and the Mekong, and “we’re really excited about 2024 when we will become the first river cruise line to operate two vessels on the Magdalena River in Colombia” with the Mar launch of the 60-passenger AmaMagdalena, followed by AmaMelodia in Jun.

Murphy confirmed that all pricing will be in Australian dollars, adding “we are prepared to start taking business early next month”.

He foreshadowed the establishment of a full team to service Australian travel advisors including a local call centre.

APT declined the opportunity to comment on the move.