Costa Pacifica will call Taranto every week from June 3 until October 7 as part of an itinerary visiting the Greek islands.
The announcement was made Wednesday in the city attended by Rinaldo Melucci, Mayor of Taranto, Sergio Prete, President of the Ionian Sea Port System Authority and Extraordinary Commissioner of the Port of Taranto, Gianfranco Lopane, Councillor for Tourism of the Apulia Region, Raffaella Del Prete, General Manager of Italian Cruise Ports of Global Ports Holding, and Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises.
19 calls are scheduled for the 521-cabin Costa Pacifica in Taranto, on Saturdays from where the ship will also call at Catania, Valletta (Malta), Mykonos (Greece), and Santorini (Greece).
Taranto will feature as both port of embarkation and disembarkation, as well as passengers joining the ship on fly cruises. Arriving guests will be able to visit the city and the area independently, as well as by choosing from the wide range of organised excursions Costa is working on with the support of local institutions and operators.
In particular, the tour project in Taranto is focusing on visiting the historic centre, the Cathedral, the Aragonese Castle and the MarTa archaeological museum, while visits to major provincial and regional destinations are planned in the area, as well as a catamaran tour of the Gulf of Taranto.
‘We must work together to guarantee the services necessary to enhance the experience cruise guests will have in Taranto, such as reception services or organised excursions. I am certain that with everyone's help we will achieve great results,’ said Zanetti.
Rebirth of the city
‘The arrival of Costa Cruises’, said Mayor Melucci, ‘in addition to being excellent news for the city's entire hospitality system, confirms what we have been advocating for some time now: Taranto is growing as a tourist destination, consolidating its appeal.
‘We will always offer maximum cooperation to anyone who believes in the rebirth of our city, and we found the same harmony with Costa that we had already found with other players in the sector.’
The port’s president Prete, noted Taranto is enjoying an increasingly prestigious position on the Mediterranean cruise map whilst councillor Lopane, said: ‘The arrival of another player in Taranto, such as the Costa Group, confirms the attractiveness and beauty of the city and its port.’
Data acquired by the Pugliapromozione Observatory reveal that 90% of the tourists who come to Puglia by sea, mainly by cruise ships, have never seen our region before, Lapone shared.
Global Ports Holding’s Del Prete, said, ‘Costa’s decision to include Taranto in its itineraries is a further, very welcome confirmation that comes six weeks after winning the Destination of the Year 2022 at the Seatrade Cruise Awards presented during Seatrade Cruise Med in Malaga.
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