Lengthy negotiations between local travel company Orange Cruises Ltd (formerly Cruises International Ltd) and Costa Cruises have succeeded in reinstating calls by Costa, which, following a strategic decision taken last year, dropped its vessels’ weekly visits to Valletta.
This is a major breakthrough for the local cruise-liner industry, since the ship designated to operate the service, the Costa Concordia, is a vessel carrying up to 3,800 passengers and is scheduled to make 32 calls between 15 April and 18 November 2011. This means well over 100,000 passengers for the season.
Demand for Costa Cruises
in Malta
The talks between Orange and Costa started after numerous past clients enquired about Costa offering cruises out of Valletta – as the line had been doing for most of the past decade. Europe’s top-selling cruise line, Costa has a fervent client-base in Malta because tens of thousands of Maltese have grown quasi-addicted to the cruise-line’s distinct Italo-Mediterranean flavour. Its stylish cuisine, the informal and friendly service, as well as the shows, entertainment and on-board animation, put Costa a world apart from its major competitors.
The interesting West Mediterranean itinerary offers stops in Civitavecchia (Rome), Barcelona, Palermo, Palma de Mallorca and Savona (Portofino). Costa Cruises products can be purchased from Orange’s preferred partners – SMS Travel or Mondial Holidays – or through other leading travel agencies in Malta.
In line with previous years, Orange plans to sell cruises out of Valletta not only to Maltese holidaymakers, but also to other markets – especially the UK, Turkey, Cyprus and Ukraine, where it operates its own offices.
About Costa Concordia
The Concordia is a lively, very modern, five-star, 115,000-ton cruise ship, has 1,500 cabins and a large number of catering, leisure and entertainment options. With four pools (including one covered), five jacuzzis, a 6,000 sq m spa, a multipurpose sports pitch, five restaurants, 13 bars, a casino, discotheque, shopping centre, library, internet point, Grand Prix simulator and a grand theatre on three levels, Concordia is an authentic jewel of engineering and entertainment wonder-at-sea.
About Costa Cruises
Operating a fleet of 15 ships – the most modern cruise fleet in Europe – Costa is the largest cruise company in the Continent. In addition, no other company in the world covers 250 ports offered on over 100 different itineraries. Costa is indeed unique in everything it does, and its 60 years of constant growth and innovation are testimony to this.