Brinley Hineman
As we wrap up 2025, our attention naturally turns toward next year. And 2026 promises to be a year filled with new ships, new brands and new destinations, all of which are likely to leave a lasting impact on the river cruise industry.
One of the topics on my mind is Amsterdam, which will begin curbing the number of river cruise calls allowed in the city in an effort to limit overtourism.
The city plans to reduce calls by 10%. Though the move is unlikely to make much of a dent in the city's overtourism woes -- since so few of its visitors originate from river cruises -- it will impact some lines' operations.
Docking allocations are assigned to shipping companies rather than river cruise lines themselves, meaning partners that handle the bookings for port calls must cut 10% of their total dockings in Amsterdam. What does this mean for river cruises? A mixed bag, with some reporting no changes and others reporting a somewhat different approach to the Rhine.
AmaWaterways will move its calls to Zaandam, a 20-minute drive from Amsterdam. Riverside Luxury Cruises and Emerald Cruises & Tours will do the same when their ships can't dock in Amsterdam proper.
There are two things to watch for here. First, could this prompt a ripple effect, where other European cities concerned about overtourism may develop similar plans.
Second, could this create a silver lining, in that destinations near Amsterdam that don't see many visitors have an opportunity to better develop their own tourism.
The latter is of particular interest. Though river cruise executives say there's still room on the river for more ships and more competition, advisors have raised a question: Where will this crop of new ships dock?
I think it's likely we'll see communities, towns and cities on the rivers, or at least towns a close drive from top river-cruise destinations like Amsterdam, develop docking locations in the coming years to lure more tourists to their towns and grab the visitor spend that other cities turn away.