Exclusive interview with Luigi Stefanelli, Vice President Worldwide Sales at Costa Cruises, at IFTM Top Resa 2026.

In this interview, Luigi Stefanelli of Costa Cruises talks about how 2026 went for the cruise industry and for Costa, the new itineraries planned for next year, including La Dolce Vita for French guests, the shore experiences on offer, Costa’s sustainability work and the opportunity for French travel agents.

Key Highlights:

1. Luigi Stefanelli calls 2026 a very strange year. He says it started very well, something that happened in March badly affected business, and then there was strong last-minute demand. He says the cruise industry and Costa both had a satisfying year.
2. He says having the ships in North Europe and the Mediterranean in summer helped a lot, because he calls these very safe areas. He says safety was one of the main concerns for consumers in spring.
3. He says next year Costa has new destinations and itineraries, including a South America cruise from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro and back. It includes a New Year’s Eve cruise where guests watch the fireworks over Copacabana beach from the ship.
4. He says there are new itineraries in North Europe, including Iceland, and that a new world cruise is coming in 2027, with another new one in 2028.
5. He says Costa now presents itineraries as concepts with an emotional identity, not as lists of ports. His example is La Dolce Vita, made for French guests, which leaves from La Seyne-sur-Mer and visits the Amalfi Coast, Taormina and Portofino.
6. He says Costa started with sea destinations two years ago, where the ship stops in the middle of the sea and something happens. He says Costa then redesigned its shore experiences, from special ones such as diving with sharks in Barcelona or seeing Rome by Vespa with a guide, to the usual city tour for first-timers.
7. He says Costa has published a sustainability report since 2015 and has invested in newer technologies on its ships, including LNG and shore power.
8. He says travel agencies keep representing the large majority of Costa’s business worldwide. He says cruising has grown in Italy, Germany, the UK and Spain, while it is still rather flat in France, so he sees untapped potential, with high customer satisfaction and good margins for agents.

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