Interview Zone- Roberto Alberti

Roberto Alberti engages in a conversation with Travel And Tour World and shares his experiences and responsibilities as the Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Costa Cruises.

Alberti also enlightens our readers how Costa Cruises emerged as a new model for luxury cruising "enabling guests to explore destinations through unique and authentic experiences, both on board and ashore, and do it sustainably".

Travel And Tour World: After 3 years of the COVID-19 pandemic what are the current trends and challenges (if, at all) that the cruise industry is facing right now?

Roberto Alberti: The last few summers have been still affected by COVID-related travel restrictions. As these restrictions have been lifted, we have noted a strong desire to travel again. And cruises, having further strengthened their value for money, represent a very attractive holiday choice for travellers. Talking about Costa, sales in the first months of 2023 were strong. Ship occupancy is growing steadily, and sales for this summer’s programs are progressing very rapidly, with high demand for cabins.

This is a very encouraging scenario, if we also consider that our capacity in the Mediterranean has increased compared to 2019, while keeping our capacity in Northern Europe constant, thanks to the addition to the fleet over the last three years of new, state-of-the-art ships, such as the Costa Toscana and Costa Smeralda.

Travel And Tour World: How would you describe the Costa as a brand in the industry?