February is considered the month of love and as “Ama” means love, I couldn’t let the month go by without sharing some AmaLove with you, our cherished guests and travel partners.
As part of our celebration, we thought the timing was just right to release our new video, AmaWaterways, the Heart of the River™. We try to put love into everything we do and this video expresses our unique heritage, our belief in the good that travel brings the world and our deep connection and respect for the timeless rivers and the remarkable communities we visit. We’ve all missed spending time with those we care about and we hope this message inspires you to start planning your next river journey with your loved ones. By sharing this video with your family and friends, you can help us spread this message of love and support of all those in the travel and hospitality industry around the world. Using #AmaWaterways when sharing via social media helps us see how far our message has carried.
We are anxiously waiting to be able to welcome our guests on board for our 2021 sailing season. We are encouraged by the positive signs starting to emerge - vaccinations are becoming more widespread and travel restrictions may soon start to be lifted. We are very excited about the future of river cruising and here are just a few of the reasons why:
- Our Reservations Team is busier than ever – new bookings for the second half of 2021 continue to be very strong and 2022 sales are well ahead of what we have ever seen this early on.
- Our current promotions provide added value on longer combination river cruises and optional land packages. These offers are resonating with travel partners and guests who are looking to spend extra time in Europe, slowing things down to better appreciate all the sights and experiences that the world has to offer.
- Our virtual events - Webinar Wednesdays for travel advisors and Sip & Sail Cocktail Hours and Virtual Cruise Events for travel advisors and guests - continue to draw engaged audiences with lots of questions during the live events – over 26,000 guests and 10,000 travel partners have attended virtual cruise events with us.
- Major airlines are working together to put pre-departure Covid-19 rapid testing in place in key airports like Paris and London while EU countries work together to implement a new digital Passenger Form to report negative test results or vaccine proof to ease travel restrictions.
- As soon as travel restrictions are lifted, we are ready to safely welcome back guests. AmaWaterways is the only U.S.-based luxury river cruise line that demonstrated successful operating experience with enhanced COVID-related health and safety protocols in 2020. We welcomed over 1,500 guests on a series of private German charters and thanks to this experience, our elegant, spacious ships and amazing crew are ready. Click here for our Enhanced Health and Safety Video.
These are challenging times, but the love we feel for our guests and our travel partners is stronger than ever. We can’t wait to share our unique brand of AmaLove - with our new ships, new itineraries, even more choice of immersive included tours and of course, unforgettable culinary experiences…
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt. - Charles Schulz.
AmaWaterways, Heart of the River ™