Costa Cruises and the new holiday: themed parties, top food and constant wonder

Create “wonder» in every aspect of the travel experience. This is the point of Costa Cruises came out of Global Summit annual of the company, which brought togetherAllianz MiCo of Milan 2,500 guests from all over the world.

If it is true that travel in general is increasingly centered on the possibility of creating emotions, cruising has always done so and has always chosen to focus on a «emotional storytelling», even when social media didn’t yet exist and tickets to board were only purchased in travel agencies.

Today, cruises attract more and more people precisely because of their ability to create unique experiences, and to offer unique holidays at increasingly competitive prices. The result is that in 2024 as many as 32 million people in the world traveled on a cruise (there were less than 10 million in 2000), and of these 2.7 million boarded Costa ships.

A moment from the Global Summit last December.

And how has the public changed? If in recent years the number of under 30s on board has grownit hard core is always represented by the over 60s, mostly retired couples, many of them repeatersas cruise passengers who embark several times a year are called in the jargon of professionals.

The companies’ challenge is therefore to speak to their usual customers, but in the meantime to broaden the offer to also attract other traveler targets: couples in their 30s or small groups of young friends, for example, must be entertained with even more engaging products, capable of competing with a very formidable competitor: the mobile phone. “That’s why,” he explains Francesco MugliaVice President Global Marketing of Costa Crociere, «that we created the concept Effortless Wonder: on board Costa ships and in experiences on land, the objective is to transform every moment into a discovery that combines the awe of wonder and effortless relaxation. What we want to do is redesign the concept of holiday».

Francesco Muglia Vice President Global Marketing of Costa Crociere.

Francesco Muglia, Vice President Global Marketing of Costa Crociere.

In journeys within the journey: choreography and themed parties to enter the destination

Costa also announced that it had confirmed and improved the so-called «Sea Destinations»: an on-board reproduction of colours, sounds and atmospheres that evoke the destination visited. Trust the creative director Luca Tommassinithese choreographic shows they revive onboard the spirit of evocative destinations such as, two examples above all, Oman and the Caribbean. Tommassini it has also created thematic parties aimed at younger cruise passengers: The “Jungle party» in the bay of Ibizawith the music of the best DJs on the island; The “Sunset party» at sunset a Formentera; The “Sea Party» in the bay of Mykonos.

The now pervasive offer of tourist experience has definitively landed in the world of cruises. How a hotel can no longer be just a hotel, but a multifunctional hub, a ship can no longer be just a ship, but a glittering world that entertains passengers. «Our intention is not to keep guests on board» specifies Muglia, «the Offboard excursions are and will always be an integral part of any self-respecting cruise. However, we want to make the ship even more shared and participatory.” The American lesson – customer at the centre, emotional storytelling as the key to success – has served.

One of the graphics released by Costa to present the «Sea Destinations».

One of the graphics released by Costa to present the «Sea Destinations».

The new cruise: design, technology, sustainability and top gastronomic offer

There are four guidelines to evolve Costa’s offer and keep it up to date: design – the new furnishings of the Costa Deliziosa cabins were presented at the Global Summit, designed to make the spaces even more elegant and comfortable; thetechnological innovation – the use of artificial intelligence to develop creative assets will allow Costa to offer tailor-made experiences for each guest; there sustainability – the company declared that it has reduced food waste by 30% compared to 2017 and is pursuing the objective of have a net zero emissions fleet by 2050. Upon closer inspection, these are aspects that influence not only the world of Costa but today’s world of cruises. Until 15 years ago, talking about perfecting the details of common passenger cabins or the possibility of connecting the ship to the ports’ electrical system, in order to consume less energy, were not discussions on the agenda. Today, fortunately, yes.

From left Hlène Darroze Bruno Barbieri and Angel León.

From left: Hélène Darroze, Bruno Barbieri and Angel León.

JAUME DE LAIGUANA

The fourth variable, perhaps the most important, is the food. There’s no need to go around it: if you choose to book a cruise, you also do it for thegastronomic offer included in the travel package. In recent years the quality of buffets has improved a lot. The themed restaurants on board are a separate matter: Costa’s gourmet format, Archipelago, as always it will be entrusted to the multi-starred ones Bruno Barbieri, Angel Leon and Hélène Darrozewho will propose their respective menus based on gramigna with aubergines and sausage and lamb chops with black truffle (Barbieri); Vol-au-vent with red carabineros prawns and confit cod in garlic oil (Darroze); king of sea urchins and potatoes and squid (León). The goal? Excite, once again.

Source: Vanity Fair

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