What Rederij Van Hulst does

Rederij Van Hulst B.V. is a privately held Dutch cruise operator founded in 1960, headquartered in Katwijk aan Zee, Netherlands. The company runs scenic boat tours, day trips, and fully configurable event packages across the Groene Hart and Kagerplassen waterways of South Holland. It serves two principal customer sets: individual tourists and families seeking leisure cruises on Dutch inland waters, and groups (private, corporate, weddings, birthdays) booking customizable charters with onboard catering. The company also offers a Vaarpas gift card product (€25-€100 denominations) and has an exclusive-charter offering on the historic Statenjacht Zuid-Holland.

The product is built around a fleet of five named vessels — Rijnstroom (built 2018, 90 seats), Rijnland (built 2019, ~95 seats), Triton (restored 2020, 150 seats), the historic Statenjacht Zuid-Holland (1960, 12 seats), and River Dream — combined with onboard catering modules (Italian, Dutch, stamppot, high tea, brunch, dessert buffets, snack platters). The underlying technology consists of an online booking portal (webshop.rederijvanhulst.nl) with multilingual support in Dutch, English, French, and German, and a custom package configurator that lets customers select boats, catering, departure location, and timing. The company operates its own shipyard in Katwijk for in-house fleet maintenance.

Rederij van Hulst generates revenue through transaction-based pricing on scheduled boat tour tickets, onboard catering add-ons, Vaarpas gift cards, and private/exclusive charters. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer via the online portal and walk-in ticket sales, supplemented by event-driven group sales and a partnership with Keukenhof for seasonal tulip-themed cruise packages. The company is led by Managing Director Gert-Jan Nell, alongside partners Hans and Sonja Bosma (from the 2018 Groene Hart Cruises merger), with the original Van Hulst family continuing in advisory/operational roles. The business is small (1-10 employees), seasonal (approximately March through October), and regionally focused.

Name

Rederij Van Hulst

Legal name

Rederij van Hulst B.V.

Website

https://rederijvanhulst.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rederij Van Hulst is a Dutch boat tour operator founded in 1960 that runs scenic cruises, day trips, and customizable private charters with onboard catering across the Groene Hart waterways of South Holland, serving tourists, families, and event groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Leisure Boat Cruise Services

NAICS

Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721), Tour Operators (561520), Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation (487)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Tourist & Sightseeing Cruise Operators (Day Cruises) (TLAFALAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

River Cruise Charters (Private/Group) (THAEACAE), Private Cruise Ship Charters (Full-Vessel) (THAEAEAC), Cruise Yacht Charters (Private Crewed) (THAEADAG)

Keywords

• Boat tour services
• Scenic cruise tours
• Private event charters
• Onboard catering services
• Day trip excursions

Headquarters

HQ city

Katwijk Aan Zee

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Boat Tour Tickets: Direct ticket sales for scheduled round trips and day trips. Customers book through online portal or at departure locations.
2. Catering and Buffets: Onboard catering services including Italian buffet, Dutch buffet, stamppot buffet, lunch buffet, high tea, brunch, dessert buffet, and various appetizer packages. Prices vary by menu selection and minimum guest requirements (typically 20-25 persons).
3. Gift Cards (Vaarpas): Prepaid gift cards sold in denominations of €25, €50, €75, and €100. Recipients can redeem online when booking cruises.
4. Private Charters: Exclusive boat hire for private events. The Statenjacht Zuid-Holland offers exclusive charter for intimate gatherings up to 12 persons with luxury amenities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Rederij Van Hulst operates scheduled boat round trips and full-day excursions through the Groene Hart and Kagerplassen waterways in South Holland, Netherlands, alongside customizable private event charters with onboard catering for celebrations and corporate outings. The company also sells Vaarpas gift cards redeemable for any cruise. Service spans 9 departure locations using a fleet of 5 vessels (Rijnstroom, Rijnland, Triton, Zuid-Holland, River Dream) with capacities from 12 to 250 guests.

Product overview

Rederij van Hulst operates as a boat cruise company offering round trips, day trips, and customizable event packages for groups up to 250 guests across the Groene Hart (Green Heart) region of South Holland, Netherlands. The company offers a fleet of six named vessels (Rijnstroom, Rijnland, Triton, Zuid-Holland, River Dream, and others) with capacities ranging from 12 to 150 passengers. Catering services are offered as add-ons including various buffets (Italian, Dutch, Stampot, Oriental, Satay), lunch, high tea, brunch, dessert, and snack platters. Additional products include Vaarpas gift cards and custom arrangement packages. The company operates from multiple departure locations including Warmond, Leiden, Leiderdorp, Lisse, Noordwijk, Sassenheim, Katwijk aan Zee, and Roelofarendsveen.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rondvaarten (Round Trips) Scheduled scenic boat tours through the Dutch waterways of the Kagerplassen, Groene Hart, and surrounding lakes, offered for groups of various sizes with optional catering add-ons.
• Dagtochten (Day Trips) Full-day excursions combining boat travel with visits to destinations such as Amsterdam, Volendam, Delft, and Keukenhof gardens, typically including meals and guided experiences.
• Maatwerk Arrangementen (Custom Arrangements) Customizable boat event packages for birthdays, weddings, corporate events, and other celebrations; customers configure boat selection, catering options, departure location, date/time, and guest count.
• Catering Services On-board catering offerings including Italian Buffet, Dutch Buffet, Stampot Buffet, Lunch Buffet, High Tea, Brunch, Grand Dessert Buffet, and various snack platters and beverage packages, sold with event packages subject to minimum guest requirements.
• Vaarpas (Gift Card) Prepaid gift cards in denominations of €25, €50, €75, and €100 that recipients can redeem online when booking any cruise or day trip offered by the company.
• Statenjacht Zuid-Holland Exclusive Charter Exclusive private charter of the historic Statenjacht Zuid-Holland yacht, accommodating up to 12 guests in an authentic luxury interior; pricing available on request.

Quantifiable outcome

• Maximum 250 guests per event
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Rederij van der MeercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019In 2019, Rederij van der Meer and its website varendfeesten.nl became part of Rederij van Hulst, further expanding the company's presence and capabilities in floating events.
• Groene Hart CruisescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Groene Hart Cruises from Leiden/Leiderdorp was incorporated into Rederij van Hulst as of January 1, 2018. Founders Hans and Sonja Bosma remain closely involved with the development of the combined company. This acquisition expanded coverage in the Leiden/Leiderdorp area.
• KeukenhofmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for seasonal tulip-themed cruise packages to Keukenhof gardens. Rederij van Hulst operates special tours combining boat trips with visits to Keukenhof during the spring flowering season.
• Amsterdam Boat CruisesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner company linking to amsterdamboatcruises.nl for expanded Amsterdam area boat tour offerings.
• Albert Heijn WarmondminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal partner (ahwarmond.nl) in Warmond for complementary services.
• Jongeneel TankstationsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner company (tankstationsjongeneel.nl) in regional fuel/retail network.
• MarenteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare/wellness partner (marente.nl) offering member benefits program 'eropuit'.
• Rijnlandsche MolenstichtingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFoundation (rijnlandsemolenstichting.nl) preserving mills in the Rijnland region, complementary to cultural tourism offerings.
• Super aan den RijnminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal retailer (superaandenrijn.nl) as regional partner.
• Tulip Experience AmsterdamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTourism partner (tulipexperienceamsterdam.nl) for tulip-themed Amsterdam experiences.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Rederij Cascade: Dutch inland cruise operator running themed and event cruises on Dutch waterways. Comparable on themed/event boat cruise model, though operating in different regional waters rather than directly in the Groene Hart.
• Captain Tobias Tours: Smaller Dutch boat tour operator offering scheduled cruises and private charters in Dutch waters. Comparable on small-operator inland cruise model with catering/event options, though at smaller scale and different regional focus.

Direct peers

• Canal Tours Amsterdam: Canal Tours Amsterdam offers sightseeing cruises and private charter packages across Amsterdam's canals. Comparable on product (round-trip sightseeing cruises), customer segments (tourists and event groups) and multilingual marketing.
• Lovers Boat Tours (Lovers Cruises & Tours): Lovers operates canal cruises and boat tours in Amsterdam and surrounding waterways, offering similar passenger sightseeing and event cruise services in the Netherlands. Most directly comparable on product type (sightseeing boat tours) and customer base (Dutch and inbound tourists), though anchored in Amsterdam rather than South Holland.
• Amsterdam Boat Cruises: Explicitly listed as a partner/reseller link from Rederij Van Hulst, Amsterdam Boat Cruises offers similar sightseeing and event cruise packages in the Amsterdam region. Direct competitor in adjacent geography and potential expansion vector into Rederij Van Hulst's turf.
• Rederij P. de Boer: Long-established Dutch family-owned boat tour operator running round trips and day excursions in Friesland/Groningen. Comparable on small-team family-run inland cruise operations with catering add-ons and group event focus.
• Stromma Netherlands: Stromma operates canal cruises and hop-on/hop-off boat tours across major Dutch cities including Amsterdam. Highly comparable as a sightseeing cruise operator with both scheduled ticketed tours and private charter offerings targeting tourists and event groups.
• Blue Boat Company: Blue Boat Company runs canal cruises in Amsterdam with both regular tours and private/event charters. Comparable on sightseeing cruise product, multi-language visitor focus, and event/catering add-on revenue model.
• Holland Boat (Holland Vaarvakanties / Holland Boat Tours): Holland Boat offers small-group canal cruises and private charters in Amsterdam, with similar catering-enabled event packages. Direct product overlap on private charter and tourist cruise services in Dutch inland waterways.

Others

• Keukenhof (partnership / demand-side counterparty): While not a cruise operator, Keukenhof is Rederij Van Hulst's primary channel partner for tulip-season packages. Listed here as an ecosystem participant whose demand flow directly underwrites the company's highest-volume seasonal product.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rederij-van-hulst

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rederij Van Hulst