STARBOARD Starboard buoyant on Costa Venezia launch


Miami-based Starboard Cruise Services recently unveiled its 8,000sq ft retail offer onboard Costa Venezia, the cruise line’s first vessel built specifically for the Chinese market. Andrew Pentol was among a select number of guests invited to tour the ship recently.


B


y the time Starboard Cruise Services’ latest Costa Venezia ship docks in Tokyo following


its inaugural 53-day cruise, the retailer will have had ample time to fine-tune and test the onboard retail offer among predominantly European guests. The departure of the maiden


cruise on 8 March follows the tracks of Marco Polo through the Mediterranean to the Middle East, South East Asia and the Far East. A five-day ‘Vernissage’


launch


cruise left Trieste in Italy, prior to the 53-day voyage, on 3 March, bound for Greece and Croatia. This was the first opportunity for Starboard to observe consumer trends and contemplate any necessary tweaks. From 18 May, when the


5,200-passenger Costa Venezia ship arrives at its home port of Shanghai, the vessel will be exclusively dedicated to the Chinese market. The importance of these two cruises, therefore, must not be underestimated. The Costa Venezia onboard retail


offer spans 8,000sq ft and is spread over tw -decks. The shopping areas, which include the largest beauty offer at sea spanning 2,500sq ft, resemble a Venetian-style shopping pavilion. These were curated by Starboard with a plethora of the world’s leading brands. Speaking to TRBusiness at


the


recent Costa Venezia preview event in Trieste, Italy, before the start of the ‘Vernissage’ and 53-day cruises, Derek Wong, Vice President & General Manager Asia, Starboard Cruise Services said: “We are looking to see the purchasing behaviour of the European guests and how they react to the brand assortment. “Although both elements will be


different among Chinese guests, from my perspective, these two cruises provide an opportunity to understand the traffic flow and


MARCH 2019


consider adjustments to the build- out of the boutiques and some of the merchandise.” Wong, who indicates the liquor


and tobacco assortment will be completely different by the time the ship hits China, is confident ‘everything will be perfect’ by 18 May. Stefano Menegotto, Vice President


and General Manager, Europe, Starboard Cruise Services, also believes the two cruises provide an excellent opportunity to test the onboard traffic dynamic. He tells TRBusiness: “The other interesting learning opportunity for us in the first couple of months is to see how the Europeans react to the wide assortment of brands we do not normally carry. “It is a kind of testing lab as the


environment is not created for these guests. Nonetheless, it will be an excellent learning opportunity.”


Learning curve Meanwhile, Carrie Julier, Senior Vice President, Cruise Retail, North America & Onboard Media, Starboard Cruise Services, tells TRBusiness that learnings from the China/Asia team have been transferred to the Caribbean/North America. Julier, who recently expanded her


remit to include Starboard’s North American cruise retail operations following the departure of former Starboard Cruise Services President and CEO Beth Neumann in February,


explains: “Some of our Japanese beauty brands and products, for example, have been Asia-led, so we transitioned them to our Caribbean ships as they became more of a trend in North America.” A significant element as far as


Starboard’s North American ships are concerned, is that the cruise lines understand the value of the Chinese guest. Julier comments: “They really want to grow the China market. Typically, Chinese guests would cruise for the first time in China on short itineraries. Now, more and more are booking longer itineraries with the same cruise line in the Caribbean market.” She concludes: “We have gone


from having very few Chinese guests on our North American ships to scenarios where they account for 1%, 2% or 3% of the total cruise. “Even with a small percentage of


Chinese guests, we are really having to learn from Derek and his team how to cater to them.” «


“We are looking to see the purchasing behaviour of the European guests and how they react to the brand assortment.”


Derek Wong,


Vice President & General Manager Asia, Starboard Cruise Services


TRBUSINESS 19


Above: A rendering of how the Bulgari boutique will eventually look on Costa Venezia. Source: Starboard Cruise Services.


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