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Costa Cruises, the international cruise company which has pioneered the development of the Chinese cruise holiday market since 2006, revealed that it has received official approval from the PRC Ministry of Transportation to operate three special cruises across the Straits between the Mainland and Taiwan.
Operating from April to May this year out of Shanghai’s new cruise terminal, the historical cruises underline Costa Cruises leading position in the development of this promising emerging market. The three cruises will navigate a new route which was originally designed for Amway (China) Co., Limited. Departing from Shanghai, the itineraries include calls at ports in Hualian, Jilong and Taizhong in Taiwan and will
last for seven days and six nights. The newest member of the Costa fleet in Asia, Costa Classica, will be deployed for the three Shanghai to Taiwan sailings. Many of Amway’s most outstanding employees are set to embark upon these luxurious Costa cruises for an experience like no other. Immersed in a romantic and passion-filled Italian-style atmosphere onboard, they will be able to enjoy a glimpse of Taiwan’s beautiful scenery and the exciting, yet relaxing, cruise lifestyle at the same time.
“We are very honored to be operating the first cruises directly between China and Taiwan, as this ushers in a brandnew chapter for Costa Cruises’s development in China,” said Massimo Brancaleoni, Vice President of Costa Cruises Pacific Asia. “We value China as one of the most important and promising oversea markets for Costa globally, and strongly believe that the relaxing of the policy on cross-Straits direct sea transport will have a very positive impact on the Chinese cruise holiday market,” he said.
This route will offer a new and highly appealing destination to Chinese consumers and, at the same time, stimulate fast, profitable development of the coastal cities economies, including Shanghai and Xiamen, both of which have recently launched new cruise terminals.
“Costa Cruises will remain at the cutting edge of the mainland’s fast-developing tourism industry by opening up more new tourism options for Chinese travelers and further fueling the rapid growth of the cruise market in China” said Mr Brancaleoni. With further development of direct transportation links and travel between the two markets, cruise holidays to Taiwan are expected to become a new trend for Chinese tourists. Such cruises allow Chinese tourists to enjoy Taiwan’s stunning landscape without worrying about arranging accommodation in the different cities of Taiwan. As the leading international cruise company in the market, Costa fully understands the needs of Chinese tourists, and it is constantly working to provide products which are best suited to their interests.
To show appreciation for its customers’ ongoing support, as well as to give even more Chinese tourists the chance to enjoy the passion of the Italian lifestyle onboard its romantic cruises, Costa Cruises has sent an official application to the Department of Transportation to secure more direct cruise trips in 2010.
With more than 60 years of international cruise holiday experience, Costa Cruises decided to establish a home port in Shanghai in July 2006, becoming the first international company to schedule regular cruises in China. After nearly three years of development in the market, Costa Cruises has established a strong leadership position there.
It is the only international cruise company to currently run different cruise lines 12 months a year in Asia. The cruise itineraries are based from the three mother ports of Shanghai, Tianjin and Hong Kong, and offer several attractive destinations, including Sanya, Halong Bay, Da Nang, Okinama, Kagoshima, Nagasaki, Fukuoka and Jeju. So far, almost 55,000 Chinese guests have embarked on Costa cruises to enjoy the incredible, passionate Italian holiday experience with consumer satisfaction rates of higher than 98 percent.
The year 2009 will see yet another important milestone for Costa Cruises’ rapid development in Asia. As well as introducing its first direct cruises between Taiwan and China, Costa will also be increasing its investment in China. From this April, Costa’s Asian fleet will welcome its second member, the Costa Classica. As one of the most popular ships in Costa’s entire fleet, the elegance and sophistication of Costa Classica will up the ante for Costa’s world-famous Italian-style cruising in Asia. More importantly, it will allow even more Asian tourists to enjoy a wonderful and memorable cruise holiday.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
