Costa Cruises Appoints New Head of Sales for North America

Costa Cruises has appointed LaDonna Allen as head of sales for North America. She will oversee strategic and national accounts, charter and incentives, and field sales, and will work closely with Costa’s North American team of business development managers. She will report to Dario Rustico, general manager, North & South America for Costa Cruises.

Allen replaces Erik Jaramillo, who had been promoted to head of sales in March of this year. Prior to that, sales were led by Scott Knutson, whose position as vice president of sales was eliminated in November of last year after 13 years with the company.

“With her deep wealth of experience as a travel advisor and experience in the cruise industry, LaDonna will be an asset as we work with our valuable travel partners to provide great cruise experiences with Costa to American guests,” said Rustico.

Allen joins Costa with 35 years of experience in the travel industry. Most recently, she was director of travel advisor partnerships at NaviStone, a digital and direct marketing company. Prior to that, she was with Princess Cruises and Cunard for nearly 10 years where she held the roles of national account manager and business development manager, respectively. Her career in travel began in 1989, when she spent 18 years as a travel advisor before joining Princess.