PHOTO: Adventures by Disney will offer Danube River cruises on AmaWaterways in 2016.

Family travel saw a significant uptick after 9/11 and the growth trend hasn’t stopped since. Practically every major tour operator now caters to family travel groups and they are coming out with more family-friendly itineraries on escorted programs, new packages that recognize family needs and even new modes of transportation, such as river cruising, to accommodate their family travelers. Here’s a rundown of what’s new in family travel from major tour operators:

Adventures By Disney last month unveiled a new partnership with AmaWaterways to operate European river cruises on the Danube. River cruising is a natural fit for Disney’s tour operation, which previously offered river cruises on the Nile and the Amazon. The introductory river program is a cruise on the Danube through Austria, Germany, Hungary and Slovakia with a pre- or post-tour in the Czech Republic. The program is designed for multigenerational families with children 8 years of age and older. Activities will include an archery class, coin making, making candles from beeswax and culinary stories. Visit www.adventuresbydisney.com or www.disneytravelagents.com.

CIE Tours: Traditional tour operators are seeing growth as well — especially with multigenerational travel. “Family travel is a significant part of our group business,” says Brian Stack, CEO of CIE, which focuses in Ireland and Britain. “We have our Circle of Friends concept, which is basically promoting the idea of families traveling together. Though we can’t spell this out, the real message is to grandparents, who could spend money and enjoy quality time with family. I have seen firsthand the joy that grandparents get showing their children and grandchildren their ‘home’ country.” Visit www.cietours.com.

Globus: Jen Halboth, director of channel marketing, says her company’s panoramic tours are favorites for families. “Families are particularly interested in visiting Europe’s biggest and most iconic cities,” she says. “London, Paris and Rome are tops when it comes showing kids the world. We see lots of interest from families in our ‘London and Paris Panorama’ vacation, as well as tours that visit Italy’s iconic cities: Rome, Florence and Venice.”

National parks are also a good fit for families, says Halboth, and national park tours are among its most popular for these clients, while Costa Rica is the top exotic destination for this market. Visit www.globusjourneys.com.

Tauck Bridges, introduced in the early 2000s as Tauck’s family and multigenerational tour unit, is offering a grand tour of Europe designed for family travelers, along with another new program for 2015, an African safari. The 12-day “Grand European Family Holiday” begins in London and includes Paris and Rome, letting guests experience the destinations in ways designed to appeal to different generations. In London, for example, the tour visits places associated with Harry Potter, leads kids on a Sherlock Holmes mystery adventure, visits the Tower of London and takes guests on the London Eye.

Tauck Bridges’ new South African trip includes time in Cape Town, a visit to the Cape wine district and a safari in Kruger National Park. The trip will be enhanced by Tauck’s partnership with BBC Earth. Visit www.tauck.com.

Abercrombie & Kent continues to see a growth in family travel, especially in small groups. “For 2015, we reimagined our Family Journeys to include 16 journeys spanning all seven continents,” says Jean Fawcett, a spokeswoman for A&K.

For the first time, A&K is offering guests Luxury Small Group Family Journeys, featuring five-star accommodations, a Young Explorers Guide and child savings of $800, and Connections Family Journeys, typically priced 30 percent less, with four-star-plus accommodations, a slightly larger group size and child savings of $400.

A&K also is seeing a lot of milestone trips combined with family travel. “An increasing number [of travelers], more than 20 percent this year, are organizing family trips to celebrate a landmark birthday or anniversary,” says Fawcett. “Some let the kids choose the destination when they turn 13 or graduate from high school or college. We are finding that families want to travel and learn together, creating memories that will last a lifetime.”

SITA World Tours is seeing continued growth in demand for its family-friendly tours. “We expect the family travel market to continue to grow due to the fact that the oldest of the baby boomer generation are in retirement,” says Mary Barnett, SITA’s concierge-sales. “This gives a boost to multigenerational travel, one of the fastest-growing segments of the family travel market.”

Like other tour operators, SITA is seeing more and more multigenerational travel. “Grandparents, parents and their adult children might be scattered all across the country nowadays. Family travel provides that bridge in which a memorable reunion is made possible,” says Barnett. Visit www.sitatours.com.

Trafalgar features Family Experiences, described as itineraries “designed so the family can learn to have fun together.” They are highlighted with insider experiences that give guests the opportunity to get behind the scenes and have personal encounters with locals. Visit www.trafalgar.com.

Big Five Tours has introduced a new series of family trips call Precious Journeys designed “for families to enjoy authentic journeys that welcome children as a vital part of the travel experience, providing them with real-world experience,” says Big Five President Ashish Sanghrajka. In particular, they are designed for families with younger children, ages 5 through 11. The core of the concept is the inclusion of educational experiences in culturally rich places in South America, India and Africa.

Says Sanghrajka, “The end result is not just a great experience. It would be an awakening — the exposure the child gets opens the imagination to choosing something like marine biology or archaeology as a career path as they get older.” Big Five’s new series is rolling out with four programs in Ecuador, India, Kenya and Costa Rica/Nicaragua. Visit www.bigfive.com.

Apple Vacations: Family travel is also making its mark on vacation packagers and wholesalers. “Apple’s family travel is strong and growing,” says Tim Mullen, president of Apple Vacations. “Family travel makes up 32 percent of our overall group travel, often consisting of multiple generations and extended family joining the family group.”

Mullen says Apple Vacations makes it easy with its GroupEase program, which allows families of 10 people or more to book their vacations from multiple cities using a promo code, and then to receive great perks and benefits at hotels as if they were all traveling together from the same city as a traditional group.

Apple Vacations also has introduced a microsite called the Family of Five Finder to help family groups of five or more to organize their group vacations. Visit www.applevacations.com.

PHOTO: An Austin Adventures Family Adventure in Montana featured a barbecue ride.

Austin Adventures, another vacation packager, reports that family travel has been growing at a fast pace for a decade and a half and is now even stronger than before. Austin Adventures offers Family Adventures in North, Central and South America, Europe and Africa. Like other operators, Austin Adventures is seeing more multigenerational groups as well as older teens and young adults on family trips. Visit www.austinadventures.com.