President of Costa Cruises (Maurice Zarmati) confirmed as Expo Keynote Speaker

WRTA is proud to announce the confirmation of Maurice Zarmati, President of Costa Cruises, as a Keynote Speaker for the World Religious Travel Expo.

Maurice M. Zarmati
President & Chief Executive Officer of Costa Cruise Lines—North America

In many ways, Maurice M. Zarmati seemed destined to assume his role as President & Chief Executive Officer of Costa Cruise Lines—North America. From the five languages he speaks fluently, to his Italian heritage and his long-standing ties to the cruise industry, Zarmati brings a wealth of experience and savoir faire to the position, which he began in March 2008.

Born to an Italian father and French mother, Zarmati and his family emigrated from his birthplace in Egypt to Genoa, Italy in 1956. Zarmati remembers the foreshadowing of his future upon arrival – the first image he saw was a Costa logo displayed distinctly in the Port of Savona. After spending three years in the Northern Italian port city, Zarmati’s family moved to the United States and settled in Miami. Already fluent in Italian, French and Arabic, Zarmati became proficient in English as well, eventually adding Spanish to round out his linguistic skills to five languages. Zarmati carried this passion for language with him to his studies and graduated from the University of Miami in December 1969 with a B.A. in comparative linguistics.

In January 1970, he joined Arison Shipping, which was the general managing agent for a Miami-based cruise line. Two years later, he worked with the legendary Ted Arison and was part of the original team that formed Carnival Cruise Lines, serving as southeast regional sales manager from 1973 until his promotion to director of sales in 1979. Zarmati was named vice president of sales in 1987, a position in which he became responsible for the largest field sales force in the cruise industry.

In his role with Costa, Europe’s Number One Cruise Line, Zarmati oversees sales development, marketing, revenue management, finance, human resources and passenger services for the North American region. He reports to Gianni Onorato, President of Costa Crociere.

Zarmati is actively involved in the South Florida community. He is a past president of the Executives' Association of Greater Miami and has served on the board of directors of the Fiduciary Trust International of the South, Boy Scouts of America and the National Safety Council. Additionally, Zarmati is involved with the United Way of Dade County and is on the board of trustees for the National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts. He has co-chaired the Star Chefs & Wine Extravaganza benefiting the March of Dimes Foundation, and has served on the executive committee for the Miami Heart Association’s annual Walk-A-Thon. A member of the Travel Industry Association of America, Zarmati is a certified travel counselor and serves on the Marketing committee of the American Society of Travel Agents. He is also a certified translator of French and Italian.

Zarmati resides in Miami Beach and has two children, Sabrina, a proud senior at Stetson University and Joshua, and exotic animal handler. His interests include wine appreciation and fine dining and he is a member of a number of different wine organizations.