Ex-Costa boss jumps ship to easyCruise
Former Costa Cruises managing director Paul Ellerby has joined easyCruise as interim sales and marketing director while the cruise line hunts for a chief executive.
He has initially joined on a three-month contact with easyCruise stressing it will be up to the new CEO to select their own longer-term management team.
Ellerby himself, however, has been tipped as one of the front runners for the top job.
Ellerby quit Costa in January after five years as MD, explaining he wanted to “pursue a new career challenge.”
He told TravelMole today: “The opportunity arose to join easyCruise on an interim basis. I only became aware they were looking at a broader structure during dialogue with Stelios but that it a very seperate issue to why I was brought in.”
He refused to be drawn on the chief executive role but admitted he would be keen to stay on a longer-term basis if the current job goes well.
Ellerby will have a five-point plan over the next three months, including improving yield management and revenues, marketing and developing relationships with the UK trade.
Encouraging non-cruise agents to start selling the product and ensuring they know the difference between easyCruise and more traditional cruise lines will be among the key aims.
“Around 70% of our customers are under 40,” said Ellerby. “We’re keen for the trade to get behind us and we need agents with a younger database and who can take advantage of our online proposition.”
EasyCruise said his in-depth knowledge of the cruise industry and its sales and distribution methods will benefit the company as it “gears up for growth.”
Report by Steve Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025