“It’s time to focus on Chinese tourists”

Hamburg - The screen in the new Carnival Cruise’s operations control room displays a busy map of the Mediterranean. There are Costa ships in the foreground, as the Carnival cruise group, from its location in Hamburg, now provides support for every single vessel of the group, from Asia to the Caribbean. Technologically advanced systems control, among other things, the ship’s course; still, however, no one’s invented a machine to predict market trends. “It’s a matter of cycles,” Neil Palomba explains succinctly, “that’s how the market works: it’s confirmed by historical analysis.” And the trend, now, in the Mediterranean is looking negative. “But we’re not worried,” continues the President of Costa Cruises. “We’re still dealing with the biggest destination in the world after the Caribbean, and one ship more or less doesn’t make much difference. In the summer months, the Mediterranean is still a very important market.”

But one with fewer options on offer: the political climate in Turkey and North Africa precludes bringing back cruise ships to those ports: “It’s true: the range of port-destinations has shrunk, so we have to find different destinations, ones which we hadn’t thought of before. We have to be more creative. Undeniably, there are some difficulties, but we believe they can be overcome. The Mediterranean is still strategic.”

The perception of US tourists, however, is one of insecurity, and they tend not to make subtle distinctions within Europe: “It is especially true for American companies. But for us it’s a bit different.” Palomba’s company is giving it all it’s got: “The potential of Europe is totally there. One of the possibilities we’re looking at concretely is a way to stimulate Chinese cruise holiday-makers to travel in the Mediterranean. Our presence in Asia is also geared to that end: to present a product that can entice consumers from China to spend their holidays on a cruise ship in Europe. We believe there are great opportunities for growth.” The Chinese may well replace edgy Americans, even if for now it’s just something Costa is trying to pin its hopes on. The cruise sector is still growing, says Palomba, “because it’s relatively still undeveloped.” And, the topic of port infrastructure and accessibility represents a decisive factor. “To fully understand that, one needs to compare ports and airports: the latter have had decades of investment and experience. The passenger terminals at ports are, instead, a recent development and it’s clear that they must be improved in terms of accessibility.” Also in Liguria? “We in Savona, and our competitors in Genoa (MSC, ed.), have invested a lot in the part that is under our control. The rest of the infrastructure must, however, be put in place by the public sphere, and I’m sure that the way forward as described by President Toti, is the right one.” There is certainty regarding the fate of the airport of Genoa: it will not hinge on any direct commitment from the cruise company. To each his business, and Costa still prefers ships to planes.