As on sister ship Costa Smeralda, 'guests will have the chance to fully immerse themselves in Italian style, beauty and aesthetic, which will take shape in different aspects of life on board, from interior design to dining, from entertainment to hospitality,' Costa Cruises President Neil Palomba said.
He spoke this week during steel-cutting festivities at Meyer Turku for the 180,000gt, LNG-powered newbuild.
Four design firms, overseen by Adam Tihany
The Costa team is working with four leading design firms in the hotel, hospitality and entertainment sector, which are taking the brand to a new interior design vision and concept. They are Jeffrey Beers International, Dordoni Architetti, Partner Ship Design and Rockwell Group.
As creative director, the renowned US-based designer Adam D. Tihany is overseeing the design development and branding, with the objective of crafting an innovative look based on the history and tradition of the brand.
Costa Toscana's interiors will closely resemble those of Costa Smeralda, with a few changes. The main difference is that the CoDe Costa Design Museum won’t be replicated on Costa Toscana.
Tihany explained that being 'Made by Italians' reflects how most of the non-fixed interior design elements such as furnishings and lighting are provded by Italian companies and designers, including suppliers chosen by the yard.
Western Med deployment
Costa Toscana is initially likely to join Costa Smeralda to replace Costa Diadema and Costa Fascinosa in the Western Mediterannean, Palomba said. The company is upgrading Savona's facilities to accommodate Costa Smeralda, while also looking to build a new terminal in Costa's home city, Genoa.
Volume growth but pricing pressure
2019 is a year of growth in all of Costa's principal markets. With a capacity increment, 'the pressure on pricing is increasing ... but it is important to register a total market increase,' Palomba said, 'including in Italy, with numbers returning to the high levels of 2011.'
Regarding the new ships, advance bookings for Costa Smeralda are going 'very, very well,' while Costa Asia bookings have reached 50% of capacity in first quarter 2020, with Chinese passengers representing the biggest share.
Toscana and Smeralda are part of the Costa group's more than €6bn fleet expansion plan that began with AIDAnova, delivered from Meyer Werft last December, followed by Costa Venezia from Fincantieri in February. Costa Smeralda is nearing completion at Meyer Turku for delivery in October.
Toscana and Smeralda also advance Carnival Corp. & plc's commitment to LNG as a means of dramatically reducing harmful air emissions.
Palomba thanked Italian classification society RINA for its strong support in the ship design, building, delivery and entry into service, with teams in both Meyer's Germany and Finland locations.
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