by Bert Archer
Last updated: 1:30 PM ET, Wed November 11, 2026
Railbookers and AmaWaterways have announced a new partnership, to be rolled out in the coming months. It pairs river cruising with independent rail travel: travellers will be able to combine an AmaWaterways sailing on Europe’s great rivers with time exploring the continent by rail, all planned as a single Railbookers itinerary.
The announcement came at the opening of Railbookers Group’s (RBG) fourth annual Global Summit. On stage, AmaWaterways’ Ann Chamberlin and RBG’s Matt Foy focused mainly on AmaWaterways’ offerings, its new ships and its pickleball court, and on the similarities between river cruising and rail travel.
The partnership extends Railbookers’ Cruise and Rail collection, which already includes 51 cruise extension products, and taps into a fast-growing market: European river cruising generated about $6 billion in gross ticket sales in 2025.
President and CEO Frank Marini opened the day by looking back on a record year. Railbookers’ luxury rail business has grown 123 per cent since the start of 2026, and bookings for 2027 are already pacing 35 per cent ahead of the same period this year. Demand was so strong that the group generated about $2.3 billion in booking quotes.
“Nothing is slowing down the demand for rail; the rise of the independent traveller is non-stop,” Marini said. “Boomers and Gen X are leading the way, which lets Railbookers meet an enormous appetite for experiential and easy rail travel.”
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