Costa Edutainment’s mission is to create unique experiences which combine culture, education, emotion and fun. The company specialises in the management of large private and public structures dedicated to recreational, cultural and educational activities as well as scientific study and research. Today, Costa Edutainment manages a total of 12 structures in Italy and overseas: Genoa hosts Europe’s largest aquarium– l’Acquario di Genova, Genoa Aquarium, il Galata Museo del Mare – the Galata Maritime Museum which contains the Nazario Sauro S-518 submarine, la Biosfera – the Biosphere, the panoramic lift – il Bigo, il Museo Nazionale dell’Antartide – the National Antarctica Museum and since May 2013, the multi-sensorial exhibition without any lighting whatsoever Dialogo nel Buio – Dialogue in the Dark.
Elsewhere in Italy the company operates l’Acquario di Cattolica – Cattolica Aquarium, three theme parks: Oltremare – Overseas, Aquafan and Italia in Minatura – Miniature Italy on the Emilia-Romagna Riviera, a top location for summer tourism, l’Acquario di Livorno – Livorno Aquarium in Tuscany and in collaboration with Panaque srl, l’Acquario di Cala Gonone – Cala Gonone Aquarium in Sardinia.
Overseas Costa Edutaiment manages the Mediterraneo Marine Park in Malta. In 2015 the group which has nearly 500 employees, welcomed 2.6 million visitors and achieved a turnover of 52 million Euro.
The edutainment format provides what tourists are looking for today and this format has been applied to each of the structures acquired over a period of 25 years: The President and Managing Director of Costa Edutainment Beppe Costa tells us «Oltremare in Riccione on the Emilia-Romagna Riviera, was initially and primarily a dolphinarium with the main aim being fun even though it did provide some educational factors. It had a dolphin show which we radically changed it was a hard choice as people expect just that – a dolphin show. However, it was a desired change just like Miniature Italy – the aim being to provide more edutainment, we removed the animals because it was a mix that we did not want».
Today the aquariums in Livorno, Cattolica, Cala Gonon and Genoa (from which everything started) work in perfect harmony in order to achieve greater specialisation including certain scientific research. «A further advantage of having a network of parks is the training of human resources, Malta was a classic dolphinarium but the company is changing course there too, indeed, it is no coincidence that a small group of employees from all the various structures recently visited Malta to complete the park’s transformation».
The prospects for 2016 are excellent: «We will not be far off from 3 million visitors – Costa announces – Genoa is making a big recovery. Turnover will reach 60 million Euro, after Gardaland theme park we are the structure with the largest turnover in Italy». There is a significant increase in the number of foreigners visiting Genoa: From below 10% to more than 15% with peaks of 25% in the summer months. There is more, however, the company has among its’ cornerstone activities the aim of creating spinoffs for the areas in which it operates not only in economic terms for the group, «but to see that, for example in Genoa, the tourist stays for longer».
A significant indicator is the 103 thousand visitors received last year at the Museo nazionale dell’Antartide di Genova- National Antarctica Museum, prior to being bought by Costa Edutainment it was visited by approximately 5 thousand people a year: «We restyled the layout with a view to edutainment, we sold the package with the Genoa Aquarium and this explains the results, the same thing was done with the Biosphere, when we took it over it was earning 60 thousand euro now we have increased that amount ten-fold». The Genoa Aquarium is the driving force, but if the other structures do not provide quality they would simply be dead-weights.
The company is constantly working to improve every year: «Not only in terms of the latest products within the structures but services too – underlines Costa – In Genoa we have improved the signposting for those arriving by car and have added a fun countdown along the lamp-posts of the overpass until you reach the Aquarium. Customer satisfaction is monitored in all its aspects, last year it was at 8.75 because catering and parking facilities were not appreciated as much as the structure, now we are well above 9». This year catering and parking facilities have been modified.
Renewal is also reached through more “immaterial” aspects such as software for the ticketing office and websites which will now be managed in a more uniform way and no longer in a competitive manner in order to simulate the desire to take a rational route through all of the structures as well as by taking advantage of the discounts, one of the major advantages of visiting parks and museums belonging to the same group.
A further aim is to increase the online ticket sales: «At present we are selling about 10% of our total tickets, we would like to make them easier to purchase thus avoiding long queues. Moreover, when purchasing online tickets and registering your contact details you will be contributing to research projects like the Emys turtle which is nearly extinct and is a local species from Albenga in Liguria. In this area we have carried out an environmental reclamation of the area and the turtle population is growing again».
