Built by Ficantieri at its Monfalcone shipyard, she will offer Chinese clients the best of Italy, strengthening Costa's leadership in China. The ship is part of an expansion plan that includes 7 new ships arriving for the Costa Group by 2023, with an investment of over 6 billion euros.
On February 28, 2019 ,at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, in the presence of Matteo Salvini, Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Italy,and Edoardo Rixi, Deputy Minister of Infrastructure and Transport of Italy, Costa Cruises officially took delivery of Costa Venezia, the Italian company’s first ship designed specifically to offer the Chinese market the best of Italy.
Costa Venezia is part of an expansion plan that includes a total of 7 ships being delivered to the Costa Group by 2023, for a total investment of over 6 billion euros.
With a gross tonnage of in at 135,500 tons, 323 meters in length and a capacity for over 5,200 guests, Costa Venezia will be the biggest ship introduced by Costa to the Chinese market, where the Italian company was the first to start operating in 2006 and is currently the leader. It will offer a series of unprecedented innovations designed specifically for Chinese customers, introducing guests to Italian culture, lifestyle and excellence, starting from the interiors, which are inspired by the city of Venice.
As Michael Thamm, Group CEO Costa Group and Carnival Asia, explains: “Costa Venezia will help us to further develop the cruise market in China, which has a great unexplored potential. Suffice to say that, currently, 2.5 million Chinese people a year choose to go on a cruise vacation, which is less than 2% of the total number of Chinese people who travel abroad. Moreover, Costa Venezia further strengthens Costa’s bond with Italy: it is a ship built in Italy, by an Italian shipyard, which flies the Italian flag and which will make Chinese guests experience unforgettable Italian experiences. “
Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri, said: “For us “Costa Venezia” is the emblem of what we are able to do and where we intend to arrive, but she is also the product of the historical partnership with Carnival Corporation and Costa Crociere, which enhances the tradition of Italian manufacturing and know-how, projecting them towards other borders”. Bono continued: “As a consolidated industry leader, our contribution to the cruise industry, considering the units we delivered and those we have on order, will count on 143 ships in the coming years, with 1 cruise passenger in 3 sailing on our jewels. As soon as “Costa Venezia” will enter into service in China, putting on show what we are able to realize in a still unexplored market, I am sure that a new chapter will be opened in the successful history of Fincantieri”.
Arnold Donald, President & CEO of Carnival Corporation, stated: “The delivery of Costa Venezia is a further step in the growth of a strong and sustainable cruise industry in China, which someday, we believe will be the largest cruise market in the world. The growth of the Chinese cruise industry will continue to open the world to millions of Chinese travelers and bring ever increasing prosperity to its people“.
“As the first ship built specifically for the Chinese market, Costa Venezia marks the start of a new era, not only for Costa and Fincantieri but also for the Chinese cruise industry as a whole”, says Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Group Asia. “From conception to delivery, everything about Costa Venezia has been designed having the Chinese customer in mind. Costa Venezia will continue to offer the authentic Italian experience that is a hallmark of Costa, but with further innovations that have never been seen before and which are designed to meet the needs of the local market even better”.
On Costa Venezia, Chinese guests will experience the uniqueness of Venetian and Italian culture. The ship’s theatre is inspired by the Venetian “La Fenice” theatre; the main atrium is reminiscent of “St. Mark’s Square”, while the main restaurants recall the traditional architecture of Venetian alleys and squares. Actual gondolas, made by the Squero di San Trovaso artisans, can also be found on board. Guests can also savor the delicacies of Italian cuisine, shop in the on-board shops with many famous “Made in Italy” brands and enjoy the internationally renowned Italian entertainment, with a masked ball that will recreate the magical atmosphere of the famous Carnival of Venice. They will also feel at home with a wide choice of Chinese food on offer, the Chinese-style karaoke, many parties including the “Golden Party”, full of surprises and gifts to be won every ten minutes.
The Costa Venezia naming ceremony is planned for March 1 in Trieste, with a spectacular air show by “Frecce Tricolori” acrobatic team and a firework display involving the whole city. The vernissage cruise will depart from Trieste March 3, 2019, bound for Greece and Croatia. On March 8, the ship will be back in Trieste for the start of its inaugural cruise: an exceptional, 53-day trip following the tracks of Marco Polo through the Mediterranean to the Middle East, South East Asia and the Far East before docking in Tokyo. The vernissage and inaugural cruises will be the only departures available to European and American guests wishing to enjoy a vacation on the new ship. From May 18, 2019, Costa Venezia, in fact, will be dedicated exclusively to Chinese guests, offering cruises in Asia departing from Shanghai.
After Costa Venezia, the group’s next ship to come into service, in October 2019, will be Costa Smeralda, the new Costa Cruises flagship and the first ship for the world market to be powered by LNG. A second ship designed exclusively for the Chinese market, a sister ship to Costa Venezia, is currently under construction by Fincantieri in Marghera and is expected to be delivered in 2020.
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The Costa Group is the leading cruise company in Europe and China, headquartered in Genoa (Italy). The 28 ships of the brands Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Costa Asia together have a total capacity of more than 85,000 berths. The fleet will be further strengthened by 5 new vessels by 2023. The company has a global workforce of 30,000 employees working onboard and in its 20 offices in 14 countries.
