Concordia crisis the "new Brimble case"

Concordia crisis the "new Brimble case"
By admin


The local cruise industry may have rebounded from the Costa Concordia tragedy but sales for the company at the centre of the controversy are still in free-fall, according to one of its Australian preferred sales agents.

Brett Dudley, founder and chairman of ecruising.travel, said bookings have all-but dried up and are showing no sign of improvement. He declined to reveal figures but confirmed that one month on from the disaster sales remained “significantly” down.

“This could become the Costa equivalent of the Dianne Brimble case,” he said, a reference to the death on board the P&O ‘s Pacific Sky which almost bought the cruise line to its knees.

All promotional activity surrounding the visit of the Costa Deliziosa in Sydney on Sunday has also been cancelled, Dudley told Travel Today.

“Bookings will return for Costa but not any time soon,” he said. “Sales of all other cruise lines are strong. We had a good January and bookings in the month to date are well up on February last year. But Costa will be a lingering problem.”

Overall business for ecruising.travel fell 10% in the seven days after the tragedy off the Tuscan coast but quickly recovered, he said. “It’s lucky that other cruise lines have not been too effected but Australians are resilient.”

On a positive note for Costa, Dudley said he has taken no cancellations for future voyages. But the longer the ship remains stranded — which could be several more months — the more brand damage could be done, he said.

“It will be sitting there, in the news and with people taking photographs,” he said.

Dudley also said Costa missed an opportunity to address the local trade at Saturday’s International Cruise Council awards. It sponsored a category but no one from Costa was on hand to present the award.

Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

Latest News

  • Aviation

Low-cost Indian carrier SpiceJet continues to burn cash

It’s not just low-cost Australian carriers that are facing hardship. SpiceJet, India’s version of Bonza, recently announced a 72 per cent reduction in its net loss versus last year. But, despite this improvement, the airline has posted losses for six straight years. But it has secured board approval to raise up to INR 30 billion […]

  • Attractions

SAKA Museum recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2024

AYANA Resort Bali’s newly-opened cultural and events centre, SAKA Museum has been recognised in TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places list for 2024. Part of AYANA Bali’s resort destination, the museum integrates Bali’s rich history with state-of-the-art facilities, making it the centrepiece for the island’s spiritual and cultural heritage. TIME magazine’s inclusion of SAKA Museum in […]

  • Cruise

Silversea taps Barbara Biffi as senior vice president for global sales

Ultra-luxury and expedition cruise travel brand, Silverseas, has announced Barbara Biffi as its new senior vice president of global sales. Biffi joined the company in 2007, holding numerous positions and gaining a deep understanding of the brand, the preferences of its guests and its strategic goals, the company said. An Italian national with a wealth […]

  • Technology
  • Travel Agents

Amadeus welcomes FCM Travel as new reseller partner of Cytric Easy

Cytric Easy, the travel management tool embedded in Microsoft Teams, is to be integrated into FCM Travel portfolio. Amadeus and FCM Travel have extended their Cytric distribution agreement to include Cytric Easy. With this new agreement, global travel management company FCM Travel, becomes a reseller of the innovative travel management collaboration solution embedded into Microsoft […]