Sasso: Accountability Never Greater, Cruising’s Appeal Never Stronger

Seatrade Insider
October 5, 2009

As National Cruise Vacation Month kicks off in North America, Rick Sasso is doing -- even more than usual -- what he likes best: talking up cruising. The chairman of Cruise Lines International Association's Marketing Committee and the president and ceo of MSC Cruises USA quipped: ‘To me, every day is National Cruise Vacation Month.'

Sasso's appearance belies the fact that he's one of the industry's most senior members. He's marking his fourth decade in the travel business and his 37th year in the cruise industry. (He started at airline BOAC in Florida in November 1968 then at Costa in October 1972 and stayed in cruising ever since.)

‘I never felt better and I never enjoyed my cruise work as much as now,' he said, crediting support from his MSC team including coo Neal Palomba, plus the fact that he likes the CLIA marketing role.

One of the most profound changes Sasso has witnessed over the decades is the focus on and dedication to safety and the environment.

‘Thirty years ago, it just wasn't discussed. In the last 10 years the industry deserves kudos for being so self-policed and so above and beyond compliance,' Sasso told Seatrade Insider. ‘We operate way above what's required. We are proactive. We are always thinking what can we do to be better?'

All cruise lines make extensive investments in time and money on the safety and environmental fronts, he said, adding that on a daily basis, he spends as much time on these issues as any other.

Further key changes over the years include the improvement in the ships themselves (‘The space ratio has more than doubled') and the shift to online marketing (‘It used to be a newspaper ad on Sunday and now it's an email blast on Sunday night').

The distribution system is still sound, Sasso maintains, even though travel agents are challenged. ‘Agents are the most viable way to sell cruises. I don't believe that will change. Even though people research online, they want to talk to a live person.

‘Cruising, above all others in the travel sector, still retains the personal connectivity to our retail partners and our guests,' he said.

Cruises are ideal for contemporary consumers because families and extended groups of varied ages and interests can travel together in a venue that, unlike a resort, Sasso opined, offers ‘something for everybody' plus the opportunity to gather at meals and share experiences.

Despite the growth of the business, cruises are still customer-service driven and not a commodity, he added. 'This is a dream vacation. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens on a cruise, people brag about.'