2019 has been a key year for Costa Cruises in reinforcing its commitment to reducing its environmental impact. Last month, the Italian company welcomed the Costa Smeralda, its new flagship powered by Liquefied Natural Gas, representing a milestone not only for the company but also for the cruise industry as a whole.
The use of LNG represents a major step forward in reducing environmental impact and significantly improves air quality, as it eliminates sulfur dioxide emissions (zero emissions) and particulate matter (95-100% reduction). Furthermore, this fuel also drastically reduces nitrogen oxide emissions (by 85%) and CO2 emissions (up to 20% less).
2020: BET ON INVESTMENT
Costa Cruises will add a new ship to its fleet in 2020, the Costa Firenze. This ship, designed specifically for the Chinese market, will further the company's expansion in Asia. This new addition to the Costa Cruises fleet is part of an expansion plan by the Costa Group, which includes Costa Cruises, the German company AIDA Cruises, and Costa Asia. The group will invest more than six billion euros in the addition of seven new ships by 2023.
With its strategy always focused on guaranteeing the best experience for its customers, Costa Cruises will increase the number of cities with direct flights to destinations where the company's cruises depart. This way, the Italian cruise line facilitates access to cruises that begin outside of Spain. This is the case for itineraries in Northern Europe or the exotic Caribbean. Spanish cities with direct connections to embarkation ports include Seville, Malaga, Bilbao, Alicante, Valencia, Madrid, and Barcelona, among others.
INNOVATION AND DIGITALIZATION
Costa Cruises, recognizing the essential role of travel agents, continues to explore technological advancements that streamline operations for its strategic partners. The cruise line will therefore continue investing in technological improvements for Costa Extra, its platform for industry professionals designed to facilitate cruise information and sales. This investment aims to make its booking systems the most modern, efficient, and user-friendly in the sector.
During 2019, sales of exotic itineraries to tropical destinations, the United Arab Emirates, and major ports in the Persian Gulf were particularly strong. With more and more Spaniards choosing to travel outside of the summer season, Costa Cruises will continue to update its itineraries, always adapting them to customer demand.
COSTA SMERALDA, A BENCHMARK IN THE CRUISE INDUSTRY
One of the reasons Costa Cruises will remember 2019 is the arrival of its new flagship, the Costa Smeralda. The ship, built at the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland, arrived in Barcelona last December. Barcelona is a key port for the cruise industry thanks to its capacity to fuel future sustainable ships with liquefied natural gas (LNG). In this way, the Costa Group positions itself as a pioneer in the use of LNG, representing an innovative milestone for the cruise industry.
Five of the new ships ordered by Costa, the result of the Costa Group's fleet investment, will be powered by LNG. These include the Costa Smeralda and its sister ship, the Costa Toscana, which is currently under construction in Meyer Turku and scheduled for delivery in 2021. This new generation of ships will be key to achieving the Costa Group's goal of reducing its fleet's CO2 emissions by 40% by 2020, ten years ahead of the target set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
During 2020, the Costa Smeralda will call at Savona, Marseille, Barcelona, Palma, Palermo, Cagliari, and La Spezia (Italy). Furthermore, during the winter of 2021/22, the Costa Smeralda will visit Dubai for the first time, a destination chosen by the Italian company since 2006, and will operate a one-week itinerary visiting Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Muscat.
