Isaac Álvarez (Oviedo, 1975) holds a degree in Business Administration from the University of Oviedo and an Executive MBA from EAE Business School. He has spent most of his career at Alsa, where he has extensive experience managing the operator's international operations in various European countries, particularly France and Switzerland. He currently heads the company's Tourism Business Unit, which encompasses all passenger tourism activity in Spain.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 60 – March 2022
You recently took over as CEO of BC Tours, just as the cruise industry is beginning to recover. What are the main challenges you face?
My arrival has certainly coincided with one of the most difficult and uncertain times for the cruise industry. The pandemic forced all cruise ships to cease operations, although our offices continued working tirelessly to find alternatives. We were there too, supporting the cruise lines' headquarters with their requests and contributing ideas to address a very uncertain future.
The challenges are many, which makes my taking on the management role at BC Tours even more motivating. But I would venture to say that there are two key challenges we must face in the industry:
On the one hand, there is obviously the pandemic we are experiencing, with the increase in cases, their management, and the emergence of new variants. Protocols must be adjusted according to the needs of the moment, and this requires greater flexibility and faster responses.
On the other hand, there's the challenge of industry sustainability. I believe we can't ignore this, and our responsibility compels us to be able to generate sustainable services. Sustainability means protecting the environment, supporting the people who work with us and those who choose our services, as well as the communities and places where we operate and interact.
BC Tours is one of the Spanish companies with the longest history in the cruise industry, a sector where competition is fierce and relentless. What strategies is BC Tours using to navigate this post-COVID period?
Indeed, BC Tours is a historic company, dating back to a time when ships had a maximum capacity of 100 passengers. Few companies in the sector can boast over 35 years of experience, and we are proud to say that the growth of cruises in Spanish ports has been closely linked to the work carried out by our company.
But BC Tours' greatest strength lies not only in its extensive experience over time, but also in its people. The team has received comprehensive training to meet the requirements of the authorities and shipping companies, and in these challenging times, they have once again demonstrated their passion for their work. They are not just experienced professionals, but a group of individuals whose positive and proactive attitude is highly valued by our clients season after season.
What are the areas in which BC Tours operates, and which is its strongest?
Our specialty is cruise ships, although we also cater to the needs of all types of vessels, including yachts and warships. For them, we provide a comprehensive service that addresses all the needs of ships ashore: from agency services to tours and turnarounds. We always have a dedicated and specialized team in each area, but they are all connected to ensure the flow of information, allowing us to better understand everything that concerns our clients and what might influence operations.
You are part of the National Express group, and Alsa is your subsidiary in Spain, which had already been growing in the tourism sector until you decided in 2018 to enter the cruise industry with the acquisition of BC Tours. Why this move? Why such a specific sector as cruises?
Alsa has a vision of constant growth and expansion, which has led us to go beyond simply providing transportation. We are a company that defines itself as a mobility, multimodal, and sustainable company. Within this strategic vision, we have been positioning ourselves more openly in the Spanish tourism sector for years, and one of those steps led us to have the opportunity to enter the cruise industry with the acquisition of BC Tours. In fact, it was already a familiar sector for us since we had transportation contracts with many Spanish ports, which has undoubtedly helped us, and will continue to help us, to achieve synergies that make us stronger and more competitive.
Who are your main clients?
We work for many different cruise lines. From companies with large-capacity ships like MSC, Costa, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Princess, or NCL, to luxury cruise lines like SeaDream, Windstar, Virgin, Ritz-Carlton, Azamara, or Seabourn.
For us, all clients are "important" in the sense that each one is treated with dedication and with attention to their individual needs. This is what we love most about our work: being able to create unique products for each of our clients; we create a tailor-made solution for each one.
How have operations been during the pandemic? It's clear they've had to adapt to tedious protocols in the different ports.
Operations during the pandemic have certainly been difficult. The beginning was especially tough because, although the protocols were clear, they needed to be put into practice, and there was a great responsibility on everyone's part to avoid failure and demonstrate that the cruise industry is safe, even in times of pandemic.
In this regard, it is worth highlighting that collaboration between the different entities has been crucial: shipping company, ship, port authorities, consignee, tour operator and ground operator, we have all worked together hand in hand, to be able to face the pandemic and resume cruise activity
How do you think the cruise industry in general, and in Spain in particular, has changed?
First, I would like to highlight two things that haven't changed: the immense appeal of Spain as a destination and the extraordinary capacity and dedication this country has towards the service sector, within which we find the cruise industry.
What has changed, and we see it more clearly every day, is the industry's concern for the environment. If we want to continue working in this sector, it is crucial that resources are dedicated to sustainability. Shipping companies are investing in greener combustion systems such as liquefied natural gas, and port authorities are studying the possibilities of electrifying their ports. For our part, we were the first tour operator to obtain the Travel Life certification, which is renewed annually and encourages us to review our internal protocols as well as the products we offer to shipping companies.
Are there further expansion plans in your future strategy?
Absolutely. As I mentioned, our goal is to maintain steady growth, both through our constant and active search for new opportunities and through the development of our current contracts, expanding the number of ports we serve and increasing the range of services we offer to shipping companies, which year after year confirm the construction of new vessels.
“Our goal is to maintain constant growth, either through our constant and active search for new opportunities, or through the development of the contracts we currently have in operation, expanding the number of ports where we provide service and increasing the number of services we offer to shipping companies, which year after year confirm the manufacture of new ships.”.
