Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of the agent consortium, will christen the 102-passenger vessel during a ceremony in Porto on April 12 before the ship begins sailing seven-night roundtrip Douro cruises.

AmaDouro is the first of three new ships that will be added to AmaWaterways’ fleet this year with AmaMora, sister ship to AmaLea and AmaKristina, sailing on the Rhine, and the “double-width” AmaMagna on the Danube.

Kristin Karst, executive vice-president and co-owner of AmaWaterways, said: “We are so pleased that Julia has accepted our invitation to be godmother to AmaDouro. A huge part of our success is due to our very important trade partners and Advantage has been incredibly supportive of us as we continue to grow our brand in the UK. Julia is therefore a welcome addition to our family of godmothers.”

Lo Bue-Said began her travel career started overseas and held various positions at Balkan Holidays and The Best Travel Group before joining Advantage, where she has worked for more than 20 years.

She said: “I am very excited to take on this role and truly humbled to be AmaWaterways’ first UK godmother. This honour comes during a milestone year as Advantage celebrates our 40th anniversary. AmaWaterways’ commitment to the UK trade is testament of the opportunities developing partnerships create, and we fully support their commitment to drive more business through our members.”

Stuart Perl, managing director of AmaWaterways UK, added: “Our UK office opened only two years ago, but in that time, we have built close relationships with the UK travel trade, increasing our brand awareness and leadership in the market. We have seen a 30% increase in revenue from last year and nearly 40% increase in forward bookings year-to-year.

“These achievements would not be possible without the incredible support we have received from our travel industry partners, and we are proud to have Julia as our first UK godmother.”