Amadeus River Cruises will enter Portugal's Douro River in 2028 with a brand-new ship, extending a build program that delivered the Amadeus Aurea this year and brings the Amadeus Mira next spring.

"We are going to add the Douro River in Portugal to our portfolio. And then we have a brand new ship there," Marcus Leskovar, executive vice president of Amadeus, told Cruise Industry News in an interview for the 2027 European River Market Report.

The move matters for sellers of European river product. The Douro is one of the continent's most capacity-constrained rivers, and an owner-operator adding hardware there gives agents a European-flagged alternative in a market long dominated by a small set of operators.

Who sails with Amadeus today?

Around half of the line's guests come from North America, with the remainder drawn from international markets including Japan and Australia. English remains the main language onboard.

Leskovar said the customer base is shifting away from its traditional Baby Boomer core toward Generation X and younger travelers — guests he described as younger and more adventurous. That shift is fueling demand for theme cruises aimed at foodies, history buffs and wine lovers. This year the line introduced wine cruises on the Rhine and Danube.

Travelers were also returning to rediscover destinations and bringing friends and family along, including honeymooners in their 30s, he said.

What differentiates the operator?

Leskovar framed Amadeus as a truly European, family-owned brand in a market where many competitors are headquartered elsewhere.

"A lot of our friendly competitors are companies that operate in Europe, but they're not European. So that's the difference. With us, we are also family owned, which is really a big exception. We're essentially operating in our own backyard," he said.

On product positioning, the line deliberately avoids the all-inclusive model. Leskovar said the company aims to be more of a "boutique floating hotel" and less of a "floating tour bus."

Why fleet ownership shapes the product

Ownership structure is the line's core investment argument. Many companies in the river market charter tonnage rather than own it; Amadeus does both — chartering ships to other operators while owning its own fleet.

"One of the main focus areas for our owners is hardware. We put money into the ships," Leskovar said. "We have one of the most modern and youngest fleets on European rivers. And you see that in how quiet and smooth they are."

Those investments include:

• Hybrid propulsion systems
• Reduced plastic use
• Improved onboard treatment plants, even though the plants consume cabin space

"We are shipowners, and we have been for decades, and there are a lot of innovations on our ships," he said.

How Amadeus plans to compete with new entrants

With new players entering the river cruise market, Leskovar said the line will lean on heritage rather than reinvention.

"You know, we were the first river cruise line on the Danube. We need to keep on telling that story," he said. "We're not trying to reinvent Europe and sell it to people; we are Europe."

For agents and tour operators, the 2028 Douro debut signals continued owner-backed capacity growth in a segment where tonnage decisions are made years in advance — and where a younger, experience-driven guest profile is already reshaping how European river product is packaged and sold.