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Costa Crociere S.p.A., one of the world's leading cruise companies, has made a strong commitment to Hong Kong as a strategic market for its long term development in Asia by announcing today (May 29) the establishment of its regional headquarters here.
Costa also celebrated the docking of its contemporary cruise liner, Costa Allegra, for the first time in Hong Kong.
The company is an Italian subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise operator.
The President of Costa Crociere, Mr Gianni Onorato, said that the company was very excited about its expansion into the Asian cruise market-a key growth region.
"According to a recent report published by the London-based independent economic consultancy, Ocean Shipping Consultants, the cruise market in Northeast Asia—including China, South Korea and Taiwan-is set for substantial growth. The number of cruise passengers, estimated at 440,000 in 2005, is expected to reach 720,000 by 2010. Forecasts for the Pacific Asia region as a whole predict constant growth in terms of the total volume of cruise passengers. It is estimated that there were about one million cruisers in 2005, while this number will increase to 1.5 million by 2010," he said.
To fully capitalise on the tremendous opportunities in the region, the company has chosen Hong Kong as the location for its Asia-Pacific regional headquarters.
Costa Crociere's Asia division has a 25-strong team, headed up by Mr Massimo Brancaleoni.
The division will set about furthering Costa's business development in Asia in two ways:
* By marketing an exclusive tailor-made product in Asia, offered by the Costa Allegra, which has undergone a 12 million euros refurbishment to reposition it for the Chinese market. Costa Crociere S.p.A is the first large international cruise company in the world to be granted a license by the Government of the People's Republic of China to operate locally.
* By offering customers in more than 10 countries in the Asia-Pacific region cruises on the entire Costa fleet, Europe's most advanced, from the Mediterranean Sea to Northern Europe and from the Caribbean to South America.
"Hong Kong, as one of the China's top tourist destinations, with an excellent tourism and transportation infrastructure and supported by the vision and pro-activity of the local Government, will represent an important Regional Cruise Hub for our Company's strategy of business development in the Asia-Pacific region," Mr Onorato said.
The Acting Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, Mr John Rutherford, said, "The vibrant tourism market in Asia and the economic growth in key markets, particularly Mainland China, have created great opportunities for cruise companies. Our established transportation and business links with the Mainland and the rest of Asia make our city the ideal location for companies to reach out to customers in the region. We are delighted that a world-class cruise company has decided to establish its regional headquarters here. This is an important milestone in strengthening Hong Kong's leading position as the tourist and business hub of Asia."
"We at Invest Hong Kong will continue to work closely with Costa Crociere to facilitate its future expansion in Hong Kong."
Mr Onorato also announced that Costa Allegra, after its summer program out of Shanghai (July 3 until the end of October) came to an end, would use Hong Kong as its seasonal homeport from November 2, 2006, until end of April, 2007, to target vacationers from the Mainland and the rest of Asia Pacific.
The European-continental Costa Allegra, a 28,500-tonne cruise ship with a capacity of 1,000 guests and 399 cabins, entered service in 1992.
"Before starting her summer cruises out of Shanghai, Costa Allegra will return to Hong Kong on June 29, at the end of two 15 and 16 day cruises between China and India."
Apart from Costa Allegra, more of the company's ships will come to Hong Kong, including Costa Marina, sister ship of Costa Allegra, that will call at Hong Kong during a new cruise program out of Singapore scheduled for the winter season 2006/2007.
Costa Crociere's establishment in Hong Kong has also been warmly welcomed by the Tourism Commission, as it will further the development of Hong Kong as a regional cruise hub.
Commissioner for Tourism, Miss Au King-chi, said, "We are delighted to see Costa Crociere establishing its regional headquarters in Hong Kong. We would like to extend a warm welcome to the seasonal homeporting of its prestigious cruise ship, Costa Allegra, in Victoria Harbour. With world class infrastructure and tourism facilities, we believe that Hong Kong is well placed to become a regional cruise hub and benefit from the projected growth in the Asia-Pacific cruise market."
"The Government is committed to expediting the development of new cruise terminal facilities in order to capture the tremendous opportunities brought by the growth of the cruise industry in the region. The arrival of Costa Crociere demonstrates that the cruise industry shares our vision and aspiration for Hong Kong as a cruise hub. I am sure that Costa's passengers will find sailing through the beautiful Victoria Harbour a most memorable experience."
Meanwhile, Deputy Executive Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) Mrs Grace Lee said that Costa Crociere's decision to make Hong Kong their home in Asia added to the list of exciting new developments in 2006, a landmark year for the city's tourism industry with the completion of an array of facilities and attractions.
"We at the HKTB are fully committed to developing the high-yield cruise market and assisting our cruise partners to maximise the value of including Hong Kong in their programmes," she said. "Our 2006 Discover Hong Kong Year global marketing campaign, which highlights our new and hidden attractions, helps raise Hong Kong's profile internationally and drive customers to the city. Through aggressive promotions and publicity, as well as a series of Mega Events, we're determined to anchor more cruise calls, and make the experience of the passengers more memorable than ever."
Headquartered in Genoa, Costa Crociere S.p.A, is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation plc, the world's largest cruise group. Costa Crociere S.p.A. operates two brands, AIDA Cruises and Costa Crociere, which have a total of 14 ships in service and six under construction. All of the vessels fly the Italian flag and are deployed in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the Caribbean, Central America, South America, United Arab Emirates and Asia. Costa Crociere is RINA certified with the B.E.S.T.4, a highly structured system of certifications involving social responsibility (SA 8000, 2001), environment (UNI EN ISO 14001, 1996), safety (OHSAS 18001, 1999) and quality (UNI EN ISO 9001, 2000).
Ends/Monday, May 29, 2006
Issued at HKT 16:10
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