Costa Serena Starts India Cruise Program
Costa Cruises is celebrating as the Costa Serena begins operating its newly created India cruise program from Mumbai.
The program will operate from Nov. 4, 2023 to Jan. 11, 2024 and the Costa Serena will sail two-, three-, and five-day itineraries, with calls in Mumbai, Kochi, Goa and the island of Agatti in Lakshadweep.
A special event in Mumbai to mark the milestone in the 75-year anniversary of Costa was attended by Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, along with Francesco Raffa, Director Asia Region & Growth Markets, Costa Cruises; Nalini Gupta, Lotus Aero Enterprises, GSA of Costa Cruises; and other senior officials.
On board Costa Serena, guests will enjoy a wide range of international-style experiences, enriched with the Italian warm hospitality that has characterized Costa for 75 years. A local touch also will be featured: culinary and entertainment will be tailored to the tastes of Indian guests.
The last itinerary celebrating the completion of Costa Serena’s India program also will explore the spectacular Maldives in the Indian Ocean.
Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister of Ports stated: “We are offering our full support to the cruise line to homeport their ships at Indian ports. We are ready to support further development of our port infrastructure to accommodate large cruise ships. It is a moment of pride for us that when the Mumbai Port completes 150 years, we have Costa coming back to offer domestic cruising options to Indian travellers.”
Francesco Raffa, Director Asia Region & Growth Markets, Costa Cruises, said: “We are extremely happy to sail again in India where we’ve been operating since 2016. We are bringing to our Indian guests our authentic Italian hospitality with a local personalization in terms of food and entertainment. India is an important market for Costa, both for our established Fly&Cruise programs to Dubai and the Mediterranean, and for our newly introduced local operations sailing domestically. We are grateful to the Indian government for the efforts to support the domestic tourism and on infrastructures development. India is working to develop the cruise industry and we are excited to sail together towards the vision of the Indian government.”
Nalini Gupta of Lotus Aero Enterprises added: “I am happy that Costa is back to the Indian shores with dedicated domestic itineraries. We are looking forward to a great season ahead. With Costa there will be the opportunity of easily accessible cruises with just their Aadhaar card. It will give Indian guests the opportunity to discover the country’s most beautiful locations from a unique point of view. Indians will be able to easily access an experience of vacationing right from home without the hassle of visas or flights, while still getting that international holiday experience with the Indian touch.”
Costa Serena has a total of 1,500 cabins, 505 of which have private balconies, and 14 passenger decks. To make the most of their cruise on board, guests can choose from a wellness centre and a gym with a sea view, a beauty salon, a theatre, restaurants serving Indian and international cuisine, bars, four swimming pools, two of which have a self-propelled glass roofs, a shopping area, and a kids’ club for children and teenagers.
