Luxury rail is booming, customised rail holidays are on the rise and Australia is proving to be one of Railbookers’ strongest growth markets, according to CEO Frank Marini.
Speaking at an industry lunch hosted by the Railbookers in Sydney, Marini shared the company’s latest growth figures, expansion plans and the trends driving what he described as a global “renaissance of rail travel.”
The tailor-made rail holiday specialist, which also operates Amtrak Vacations, now offers more than 5,200 rail journeys worldwide and employs almost 400 staff across the globe.
The company expanded into Singapore last year, with former TTC executive Nick Lim leading its Southeast Asian operations.
“We’re not a ticketing company, we’re not an OTA and we’re not a group operator,” Marini said. “Everything we do is customised rail vacations at scale.”
Rail journeys on the rise
Railbookers attracts almost 15 million unique website visitors each year and handles close to half a million customer calls, with the business specialising in combining rail, accommodation and sightseeing into seamless independent itineraries.
Marini said one of the company’s biggest advantages for travel advisors is managing disruptions on their behalf.
Last year alone, Railbookers re-accommodated more than 3,500 travellers affected by delays, strikes and track works, reorganising rail, hotels and sightseeing without advisors needing to step in. Luxury rail continues to be one of the fastest-growing sectors of the business.
Marini revealed Railbookers recently secured a $300,000 luxury rail booking from Australia, adding that high-value bookings are becoming increasingly common.
Railbookers partners with major national rail operators including Amtrak, Deutsche Bahn, Trenitalia, Via Rail and Swiss Federal Railways, alongside the world’s leading luxury rail brands.
Beyond simply booking train tickets, the company creates fully customised end-to-end holidays, packaging rail travel with accommodation, sightseeing and curated itineraries into one seamless booking, giving travel advisors and their clients a true one-stop shop for independent rail vacations.
An alternative to river cruising
The company is also seeing strong demand for new rail itineraries designed as alternatives to Europe’s river cruises. Marini said Railbookers developed Danube and Rhine rail journeys last year, a move that has paid off as historically low river levels across Europe continue to disrupt cruise operations.
“Last year I had an idea and asked our product team to create itineraries along the Danube and Rhine by rail,” Marini said.
“It’s unfortunately been very helpful for us this year, as water levels have gone down and river cruises have been cancelled. The amount of last-minute bookings we’re getting is incredible because travellers have already booked their flights, and we can replicate much of that journey by rail.”
Marini also shared booking data from just two days of Australian sales last week, revealing strong demand for departures within 60 days to Switzerland, Italy, Canada, Norway, Spain and Germany, alongside a $100,000 Rovos Rail booking through Southern Africa.
Looking ahead, Railbookers expects continued growth as demand for experiential travel rises and major international events, including the FIFA Women’s World Cup, Rugby World Cup and Olympic Games, inspire travellers to explore destinations by rail.
