Costa Cruises has appointed Luigi Stefanelli as Managing Director for Spain and Portugal. In this role, Luigi will continue to strengthen the company's reputation in the Iberian Peninsula and implement market expansion strategies by increasing the number of new cruise passengers.
Luigi Stefanelli succeeds Francesco Muglia, recently appointed Vice President of Global Marketing, who achieved excellent results during the last fifteen months in Spain and Portugal, thanks to the support of his team of professionals and the application of successful strategies with distribution partners.
Spain has always been extraordinarily important for Costa. It is a strategic country for the development of the cruise sector and has become one of the leading markets in Europe. For this reason, Costa will continue to invest with the aim of growing the market and further strengthening the company's business relationship with local partners.
In his new role, Luigi Stefanelli will report directly to Massimo Brancaleoni, Senior Vice President of Global Sales at Costa Cruises, who stated: “I would like to thank Francesco Muglia for his excellent work and the implementation of innovative collaborative approaches, which have allowed the company to consolidate its leading position. I am also confident that the addition of Luigi Stefanelli, with his extensive international experience, will bring fresh and exciting perspectives to an already strong and talented team that has achieved outstanding results in recent years. I am certain that the new team will contribute to further strengthening our market position and more effectively supporting our business partners in the ambitious goal of attracting new customers.”
“It is a great opportunity to work in the Iberian region, one of the most strategic markets for Costa Cruises. I will continue the great work done by the team over the years to achieve all the goals we have set for the future,” commented Luigi Stefanelli.
Luigi Stefanelli was born 34 years ago in Southern Italy, specifically in Naples, where he studied Economics and Business as well as a master's degree in Auditing and Financial Statements.
He began his career as a financial consultant at Ernst & Young in Rome, after which he joined Costa Crociere's headquarters in Genoa, in the Revenue Management Department.
Following this experience, Luigi was appointed Director of Corporate Development for Costa Cruises in Asia, living in Shanghai for three years and working on Costa's development in the Asia Pacific and Australia region. In this position, he was responsible for sales, business planning, pricing, and revenue management, as well as a number of corporate projects.
At the end of 2015, Luigi became Managing Director for Austria and Switzerland for Costa and Aida for four years, later extending to Czechia, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary, thus creating the role of Managing Director for Central Europe.
Luigi assumes this role of Managing Director for Spain and Portugal after 10 years of international experience.
Costa's fleet currently includes 15 ships in service, all flying the Italian flag. Between 2019 and 2021, two state-of-the-art vessels powered by liquefied natural gas, the Costa Smeralda and the Costa Toscana, will enter service.
Costa represents Italian excellence and strives to exceed its customers' expectations every day with unique and unforgettable holiday experiences, thanks to the more than 20,000 employees worldwide who work daily to offer the best of Italy on board, with 140 different itineraries, 250 destinations, and 60 embarkation ports.
