Costa Cruises took advantage of the lockdown and opened its doors last week to connect its top experts online with students and recent graduates in Tourism, Business, and Marketing. Thanks to a collaboration with the University-Business Foundation, the company was able to bring students closer to the realities of the tourism business. More than 300 students had the opportunity to connect and learn what it's like to work in the tourism sector by participating in the online sessions organized by the Italian company during the first week of May. With the aim of sharing the valuable experience of its professionals during this unusual period of confinement, five company executives helped answer all the questions about managing the cruise industry.
This pioneering initiative has included the participation of key company executives in Spain and Portugal, such as Valentín Hernández, Head of eCommerce, CRM, MICE & Groups; Bárbara Fernández, Trade Marketing Director; Jorge Serrano, Commercial Director; and Marta Panadero, Business Intelligence Analyst. During the sessions, they answered questions and provided practical insights on topics related to co-marketing with agencies, the B2B platform for training, information, and bookings, commercial strategy and sales force management, the importance of revenue management and dynamic pricing tools, and the use of geomarketing to generate incremental demand in collaboration with travel agencies.
The sessions concluded last Friday, May 8th, with a presentation by Rafael Fernández-Álava, Marketing and Communication Director for the company in Spain and Portugal. His talk focused on the design and execution of media plans, public relations plans, and aspects related to reputation, sustainability, and the 2030 Agenda. Regarding this initiative, the executive stated: “Current circumstances have altered how we work during the lockdown in many ways, and at Costa we wanted to take advantage of this time to offer our experience to these more than 300 students. We are very grateful for the positive reception the sessions received and delighted to be able to collaborate again in the future with the University-Business Foundation.”
The leading cruise company in Europe has been the first to share its experience in this remote format during the lockdown, for students whose classes and study plans have been affected by the global health crisis, and who, thanks to Costa Cruises and the University-Business Foundation, will be able to continue their education.
