Travel Agent - June 9, 2008 - (Page 60)

COVER STORY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 59 As vice president of sales at Carnival Cruise Lines, Zarmati was asked to usher passengers to a purely North American product; as president and CEO of Costa Cruises North America, he is counted on to deliver North American passengers to an unequivocally Italian experience. Costa' s success in Europe has closely mirrored that of its sister brand, Carnival, in the United States. Some even call Costa the ª Carnival of Europe,º which Zarmati says refers to the similarity in the companies' traffic and popularity, not product delivery. Cruising ª Italian Style,º Costa' s tagline, is far different from sailing on a ª Fun Ship.º ª The ambiance of Costa is that it is truly cruising Italian style,º Zarmati says. This style is not easily definable, and goes further than simply the difference between spaghetti with meatballs and linguine fra diavolo. ª When you walk down Fifth Avenue or around the Vatican, one is Italian, one is American. When you walk on board the Costa Fortuna, you know it' s Costa; vice versa, when you walk on board Carnival Spirit, you know it' s Carnival.º Zarmati is hoping to convince Americans that the best way to experience cruising the Italian way is through cruising with Costa. ª My job was to figure out what the primary responsibility was,º Zarmati says. ª I knew we were undervisualized and undervalued as a company and as a product.º One reason, he believes, is that Costa doesn' t have 12 months of cruising; instead, their cruises are seasonal. ª We visit the Caribbean,º he says, ª but we own Europe.º Selling Value and Flair Europe has become the cruise industry' s prime region. Its desirable ports of call are obviously a plus, and the continent' s cost is driving more cruise traffic there and making it easy to market. While the euro continues to embarrass the dollar, cruise vacations are paid for in the latter currency, making a European vacation more affordable for Americans. ª Italy receives 12 million visitors per year,º Zarmati estimates. ª If I can convince people to cruise in Italy [and pay with] in U.S. dollars, I just got them a 50 percent discount.º But Zarmati is banking on the assumption that when Americans do choose a European cruise, they' ll choose a line with European flair. ª What is one of the most popular destinations in the world?º Zarmati asks me. Without waiting for an answer, he offers Italy. ª When you want to go to Italy, do you want to cruise with Americans or a more intercontinental, cosmopolitan group? That is what Costa is known for. I don' t think it takes convincing; it takes education.º Of utmost importance is teaching and training travel agents to sell the Costa product. This is an issue close to Zarmati, whose whole working life has revolved around relationships with agents. ª At Carnival,º Zarmati says, ª we built effective relationships with agents and took care of customers. You can tell an agent all you want `sel l, sell, sell,' but if you don' t become their confidant or friendÐI call it consigliereÐi f they don' t believe in what you say and don' t trust you, they'r e just going to `y es' you, walk out the door and throw the brochure away.º CONTINUED ON PAGE 62 A Samsara suite on a Costa Cruise ship 60 | TravelAgent June 9, 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - June 9, 2008

Travel Agent - June 9, 2008 Online Now Contents Contributors From the Editor From the Publisher Pacific/Asia: Hong Kong’s Kowloon District Honors Chinese Traditions while Brandishing Cutting-Edge Style Hawaii: Nature Lovers with an Urge to Get Out and Move Flock to Kauai - Hawaii's Garden Isle Pacific Northwest: Washington State has Become the Hot New Destination for Wine Lovers New Zealand: Two New Hotels Make Queenstown Even More Enticing Las Vegas: The Coolest Places to Beat the Heat are the Exclusive Pools at Las Vegas Hotels Central & South America: A Restored Railway Line Offers a New Way to Enjoy Quito Caribbean & Bahamas: Nikki Beach Hotels' Aggressive Expansion Continues Europe: Reporting Back from the German Travel Mart in Munich Cruises: Princess Cruises Introduces a Group Amenity Feature Cover Story: Costa Cruises Delta/Northwest: The Airline Merger that Could Change the Industry Hotels: Historic Hotels are Going Green Spas: Indulging Guests, with an Environmental Focus Agent Profile: Montrose Travel Shares its Secrets Passport Online: The New Website Supports Agents, Supplies and Consortia Agenda: From Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar China Continues to Welcome Visitors Alternative Fuel for Cruise Ships News from the Caribbean ARC Launches Accreditation Program In the Spotlight Agent Access Classified Marketplace Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch

Travel Agent - June 9, 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.