Temptations for the curious

You joined AmaWaterways early this year and come with shiny credentials across entertainment, hospitality, and travel expertise. I am excited to see not only how AmaWaterways will flourish under your leadership, but also how you might bring fresh perspectives to the river cruise industry. What key projects are you pushing at this point?
I joined AmaWaterways as president in February and stepped up to CEO in July. So it’s all new and I’m still observing where the opportunities are.

However, I have a set of priorities. I have product growth as a first priority. We will be thoughtful in how we grow – new ships, new destinations, new itineraries, or new specialty cruises.

River cruising is experiencing an explosion in interest and demand at the moment, so I want to make sure that we are positioned in the right way to ride that wave of demand.

My second priority is data and technology. We need to invest in data so that we understand more about our consumers. We need to invest in tools for the team and our partners to help them work with us. We need to leverage AI like everybody else is for consumer insights and data-driven decision-making.

Thirdly, the brand. We have an incredible brand that is beloved by those who know it, but more people need to know it. Our brand awareness has to improve, and what we stand for has to be clear.

You know, it’s noisy out there, it’s very competitive. I want to cut through all that, so that people recognise and know what AmaWaterways stands for. So, there is also a focus on brand evolution.

My last pillar is international growth. We are very strong in North America and have incredible relationships, strong consumer awareness, and repeat visitation from our guests within North America. However, we need to expand beyond that, and as river cruising becomes a bigger thing everywhere, I want AmaWaterways to be front of mind.

What does AmaWaterways stand for then?
AmaWaterways is all about river cruising. We are dedicated to and passionate about river cruising. It is who we are and who we’ve always been.

AmaWaterways is, therefore, all about small ships that are intimate and where you will experience a high-touch service. The level of hospitality is incredibly high quality, attentive and warm – that’s how we define luxury.

I was just on an AmaWaterways cruise on the Mekong. Within a day, every single crew member knew my name, what I was going to order, what I ate last night, and whether I would want it again and where I would want to sit.

If you were to get on one of our ships, you would receive the same attention.

Our crew members are obsessed about delivering the highest quality of hospitality. And this is possible because they operate on a small ship, where an intimate environment is created to allow our guests to feel incredibly cared for.

AmaWaterways’ ships are comfortable and beautiful. The ship I was on in the Mekong sports an IndoChine style, which our guests absolutely love. The layout is thoughtful; the design takes into consideration where guests could sit and how they would dine while enjoying this floating hotel that takes them from one destination to the next.

We are innovative with our ships. We are the first to create a double-width ship (that is twice the width of traditional European river ships) with the AmaMagna. We are the first to do wellness onboard, and the first to go to Colombia. People follow where we lead, but we keep innovating.

Our founder, Rudi Schreiner, is known as the Godfather of River Cruising. He built himself a raft and spent seven months in the Amazon in the 70s.

After the AmaMagna, we will soon launch a brother ship, AmaRudi, named after our founder. It will debut on the Danube River ship in 2027.

AmaWaterways immerses our guests in the local culture with the help of guides who are incredibly knowledgeable and we have cruise directors who will stay with our guests throughout their journey. The same cruise director will be with our guests from their pre-cruise land programme through the river cruise, and then the post-cruise land programme.

Such an arrangement allows our guests to establish a friendship with our cruise director while receiving professional assistance.

The brand takes the Latin word ‘ama’, which means ‘love’. I know in Asia, ‘ama’ means ‘grandmother’, which is a person who brings love and care. So, the brand is all about care and concern, and the brand comes to life with the connection we create with our guests the moment they step on board, and with the local communities our guests interact with ashore.

Good point about connecting guests with the local communities. What is AmaWaterways’ stance on responsible tourism development?
Sustainability is another area of responsibility for me, and I look at it in two ways.

One, how we design ships that are sustainable in terms of fuel efficiency, environmental impact, and all that.

Two, how we design itineraries that allow us to work with local communities by bringing in tourists who will invest in their community and by giving locals opportunities to train and develop work for us. What we do in Colombia is an incredible example – we hire locals who serve onboard and we take our guests to communities that are welcoming tourists for the first time. These tourists spend money with the locals.

You asked me earlier what I could bring to AmaWaterways from my previous roles in other companies. When I was at Airbnb, I was very focused on being able to use the platform to send people to places that not everyone was going to, to communities that wanted travellers. At Disney, I was highly focused on the guest experience, bringing high-quality, creative, and memorable experiences to our customers.

These are the things I am carrying forward.

What sort of travellers does AmaWaterways attract?
We attract open-minded people who are interested in learning, which is why we have so many excursions that are included (in the ticket).

We also cater to active travellers who enjoy biking and hiking. We offer different levels of activity, so guests can choose gentle walks or cycle 20 km excursions.

Our cruises attract multi-generation families travelling together – mothers and daughters, groups of sisters, and grandparents with their grandchildren without the parents. We welcome many multi-generation groups, particularly on our Europe river cruises during Christmas. We are also seeing families on our new cruise in Colombia, coming together to enjoy the music and excitement of a carnival atmosphere.

What is the longest itinerary you have on your list?
We have several 14-day Grand River Cruises, such as the Magnificent Europe that goes from Amsterdam (the Netherlands) to Budapest (Hungary). We increasingly offer the option to join several cruises together, allowing guests to maximise their time and enjoy a longer holiday. This is particularly popular with guests from Australia, who often travel with us for three weeks after the long journey to Europe.

Guests can bundle river cruises with land programmes too, and be with AmaWaterways for a whole five weeks. We want to make sure that our guests have the opportunity to really immerse themselves in the destination.

What are AmaWaterways’ ambitions for Asia-Pacific, and how valuable is this region for the company?
This is a strategically important region for us. I know it well, having grown up in Hong Kong, and I also previously oversaw this region at Airbnb. I understand how varied the countries, guests, and businesses are across Asia-Pacific. It is important for us to invest time and resources in this region.

Our top task is to create brand awareness in Asia-Pacific. We need to make sure that we have the right partnerships in the region, so that we can introduce river cruising to people who are new to it and AmaWaterways to people who are new to the brand.

We also need to be clear about what the product is and why it is a great market fit. We need to work with our agents to give them the tools to be able to explain AmaWaterways to all the different type of Asian guests.

This is why we have Melvyn Yap here, who will grow the business for us in this region.

How is AmaWaterways engaging with Asian travel agents now?
We have webinars and in-person meetings. Melvyn travels frequently to meet with agents and ensure they understand our product. We create and provide localised marketing materials for agents to use, and we also host and attend events.

I think the most important thing that we can do is get our agents onto our ships. We offer fam trips and ship visits.

What journeys in AmaWaterways’ 2026 and 2027 season would do really well with Asian travellers, and why?
Lots of them – all of them, in fact! Many Asian travellers are curious and will appreciate the voyages we offer.

For a traveller who is well travelled and curious about rich culture, Egypt is absolutely fantastic. We have two ships in Egypt. Our river cruises in Colombia are also wonderful for those keen on vibrant music and exciting, colourful cultures.

For families wanting to share a special river cruise experience, a voyage down the Rhine to catch European Christmas markets is a brilliant idea.

There are truly so many options with AmaWaterways!