Cruise Industry Veteran Named CEO of Holistica

MIAMI, October 2, 2019— Holistica, the destination company recently formed by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) and privately-held ITM Group has appointed Carlos Torres de Navarra as Chief Executive Officer.  With 20 years of experience in port and destination development, Torres de Navarra has held numerous financial, commercial, strategic and business development roles at the world’s two largest cruise companies.

“Carlos has a proven track record of delivering creative solutions with a high degree of efficiency and a vision towards enhancing the guest experience,” said Robert Shamosh, Commercial Affairs of ITM Group.  “It is these traits and his leadership capabilities that RCL and ITM were looking for in a CEO.  The shareholders are very excited to have someone of Carlos’ caliber and experience leading Holistica.”

Prior to joining Holistica Torres de Navarra most recently served as Vice President of Global Port and Destination Development for Carnival Corporation and previously as Vice President of Strategic and Commercial Port Development for Carnival Cruise Line.   Prior to joining Carnival, he spent seven years with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. as Assistant Treasurer involved in business development, liquidity and capital planning, financial risk management, acquisitions, as well as port development.

“Carlos’ excellent reputation of building relationships and delivering on strategic and commercial initiatives makes him an ideal candidate to deliver on Holistica’s mission.” said Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. “We are thrilled to have him on board to meet the needs of coastal communities, local governments, and land, sea, and air travelers helping design the future of destinations globally.” 

“Holistica is an organization led by a purpose – to make a positive and sustainable impact in destination development while exceeding the expectations of all stakeholders,” said Torres de Navarra. “I am honored and eager to help lead Holistica’s efforts around the globe and meet the growing demands of the cruise industry and its partner destinations.”

Torres de Navarra will report to the Holistica board and will be based in Miami, Florida.  He is originally from the south Florida area and earned his bachelor’s degree and MBA from the University of Miami.

About Holistica

Holistica is a destination development company that creates integrated and sustainable destination experiences that holistically meets the needs of coastal communities, local governments, and land, sea, and air travelers. The company brings economic benefits to communities and cultural enrichment to travelers, while creating the least possible disruption to the human and natural environment. It is a joint venture between two respected leaders in the travel and tourism industry, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and the privately-held ITM Group.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (NYSE: RCL) is a global cruise vacation company that controls and operates four global brands: Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara and Silversea Cruises.  They are also a 50% joint venture owner of the German brand TUI Cruises and a 49% shareholder in the Spanish brand Pullmantur Cruceros.  Together these brands operate a combined total of 63 ships with an additional 13 on order as of June 30, 2019.  They operate diverse itineraries around the world that call on all seven continents.  Additional information can be found on www.royalcaribbean.com, www.celebritycruises.com, www.azamara.com, www.silversea.com, www.tuicruises.com, www.pullmantur.es, or www.rclinvestor.com.

Based in Cancun, ITM GROUP is a private Mexican company with more than 30 years’ experience developing high-quality tourism and entertainment infrastructure, as well as real estate. It has built and operated more than six cruise ports in Mexico and the Caribbean, using the tailor-made sustainable technology needed to create, develop and consolidate integrated tourism destinations.