As Costa Cruises christened its newest ship Costa Deliziosa in Dubai – marking a first for the emirate – sales and marketing director DARIO RUSTICO spoke to SHALU CHANDRAN about the operator’s prospects for 2010
How has 2009-2010 fared and what are your growth expectations from the Middle East markets this winter season?
This year we increased our capacity by 30 per cent in comparison to last year and we are looking at the same kind of growth for 2010-2011. Overall the programme in Dubai has been very well received. We put Dubai on the cruise map four years ago and we are extremely proud to be the leader in the cruising industry in the region.
With the Costa Luminosa, Costa Deliziosa and the Costa Europa now providing itineraries in the region, we are looking to move at least 140,000 people out of Dubai for this winter season and expect this to increase to 150,000 in 2010-2011, generating revenue for the local economy estimated at €14 million ($19 million) in 2009/2010.
Dubai has set itself as the new cruise destination in the region. Where else do you see this potential and are there plans to introduce other cruise hubs in the region?
This largely depends on the cruise terminal and how equipped it is to provide the right facilities to the passengers in terms of comfort, space, facilities and organisation.
The Dubai Cruise Terminal, for example, has the capacity to handle four ships simultaneously. With convenient facilities like money exchange, duty free and souvenir shops, it caters to all the immediate requirements of passengers disembarking. Abu Dhabi has also become very active and understands the potential of the cruising business in terms of economical benefits as well as the leverage to the tourism industry. We expect to make 28 calls in Abu Dhabi with 65,000 guests in transit this winter cruise season – this is a 20-per-cent increase on last year.
In Muscat, Costa Deliziosa was the first ship to call at the new cruise terminal in Port Sultan Qaboos. Our commitment in Muscat is confirmed for winter 2010/2011, with 33 calls and 85,000 guests forecasted – this is a 40-per-cent increase on last year.
This is clearly an indication that the region has become proactive and is a good sign because it will enable us to develop different cruise itineraries for more markets and have guests spend more time in these destinations.
Who will be your key source markets on these itineraries?
As a European company, I believe our core markets will always be Italy, Spain, France and Germany. In the future, we believe that the Asian markets, primarily from mainland China and Korea will grow. We are also trying to develop an outbound market from Dubai to new markets like North America. We are trying to create a proactive industry in promoting this product and not just wait for a consumer to ask about it. The success of this industry lies in the hands of the trade.
Are there plans to provide different itineraries for guests with the different cruise lines in the region?
In winter 2010/11 and 2011/12 the Costa Deliziosa and Costa Luminosa will be offering seven-day cruises in the Gulf from Dubai, while in Summer 2010 and Summer 2011 they will offer cruises in the Norwegian fjords and Baltic capitals with departures from Copenhagen and Amsterdam.
Our 2011 brochure also features the return of the historic ‘round-the-world’ cruise, on the Costa Deliziosa. This 100-day trip will begin in December 2011 where the Costa Deliziosa will depart from Savona. The cruise can also be purchased in three stand-alone legs: from Savona to Los Angeles; from Los Angeles to Singapore and from Singapore to Savona.
We are already one-third booked on this itinerary.
In addition, the Costa Europa is offering a new itinerary: 18-day cruises from Savona to Dubai and Dubai to Savona – on an exclusive route crossing the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea including also Muscat.
What are your predictions for the cruise market in 2010?
There are three key words that agents need to follow to develop the cruise industry in the UAE – they are focus, aggressiveness and timing. Last year changed how the tourism industry operated because of the global financial crisis. In 2010, while initially the yields will be low, we hope that the second half of the year will see more recovery. At Costa we are committed to growth and have secured this till 2012, by when we will have taken delivery of two more ships – Costa Favolosa in summer 2011 and Costa Fascinosa in spring 2012. This will complete a €2.4-billion investment by Costa since 2009.
Looking into new markets, China is undoubtedly a market that we have invested in largely. With its demographics and economics, we are confident of high-volume growth potential. Korea is another market we are confident will show tremendous growth and India is somewhere we hope to develop in the future.