Costa neoRomantica to be the fifth Costa ship based year-round in Asia from April 2017
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Costa Cruises’ 1,800-guest Costa neoRomantica is to be based year-round in Asia from April 2017.
The 56,800gt Costa neoRomantica will be the fifth Costa ship to be deployed regularly in the region and operated by the Costa Asia brand, offering cruises marketed at Asian travellers. Costa Group was the first cruise company to enter the Chinese market in 2006 and currently has three ships – Costa Serena, Costa Victoria and Costa Atlantica – sailing in the region. Costa Fortuna will also be deployed in Shanghai, China from 22 April 2016. In addition, the Costa Group has ordered two new ships for Costa Asia, which will be built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and delivered in 2019 and 2020.
“The deployment of a fifth Costa ship in Asia in 2017, in addition to the two new fleet members that will be built specially for Costa Asia, will allow us to continue to significantly grow the Asian cruise market in particular China, which is set to become the second largest in the world by the end of the decade,” said Michael Thamm, Costa Group CEO.
Costa neoRomantica will arrive in Shanghai on 10 April after a 23-day positioning cruise departing from Port Louis in Mauritius on 18 March and calling at Port Victoria, Seychelles; Malè, Maldives; Colombo, Sri Lanka; Phuket, Thailand; Singapore; Da Nang, Vietnam; and Hong Kong. The vessel will then be drydocked while engineers customise her interiors for Asian guests and ensure she offers the line’s signature ‘Italy at Sea’ experience.
The first cruise dedicated to the local market is scheduled to sail from Shanghai on 24 April.