Costa Cruises has suspended its Christmas holiday cruise program in compliance with the Italian government's efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. “This is a temporary pause which, as the government itself has stated, has never called into question the reliability of the health protocols adopted in collaboration with the Italian authorities,” the cruise line said. “These protocols represent a unique model in the tourism sector internationally and have proven their full effectiveness over the past four months of operation in Italy.”.
Costa reported that during the holiday period, its ships will be in various ports and will offer a special food donation program in collaboration with local institutions.
The suspension of cruises not only affects the cruise line, but the entire ecosystem that depends on cruises, including travel agencies, shipyards, ports, and local businesses in the destinations visited by the ships, which the company helped to restart in the second half of the year. The cancellation of Christmas and New Year's cruises, among the most popular of the year, therefore represents an additional financial burden for Costa Cruises and the entire industry, at a difficult time for the sector, which relied on these operations.
Costa Cruises will resume service on January 7, 2021, with the Costa Esmeralda, offering a one-week itinerary dedicated exclusively to Italy. This itinerary can be divided into two shorter cruises of three and four days each, departing from Civitavecchia. The four-day mini-cruise sails to central and southern Italy, with stops in Naples, Messina, and Cagliari, while the three-day trip visits central and northern Italy, including Civitavecchia, La Spezia, and Savona.
