Sponsored By

Costa, in regional 'reorganization,' officially cancels Asia cruises

Costa Cruises, which has operated in China since 2006, canceled sailings across Asia amid a reorganization of its business in the region.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

October 25, 2022

1 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Though Costa's withdrawal from Asia had already been signaled, Bloomberg reported the cancellation and reorganization, citing a company statement that referred to 'continued uncertainty.'

Sailings touching China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Japan and South Korea are impacted.

Pre-pandemic, Costa had built two ships for China, Costa Firenze (2021) and Costa Venezia (2019). Venezia operated there from mid-2019 to early 2020 before the COVID-19 shutdown, but Firenze's 2021 Asia debut never happened.

Costa Serena adrift

The 2007-built Costa Serena had been scheduled to resume Asia sailings in 2022 but has remained out of service.  

Ship transfers to Carnival

Carnival Corp. & plc has already reduced Costa capacity by moving three ships to Carnival Cruise Line. Costa Luminosa recently was reflagged and renamed Carnival Luminosa and is scheduled to begin service from Brisbane, Australia, in November.

Costa Venezia and Costa Firenze are going into the Costa by Carnival concept.

10% capacity reduction

During Carnival Corp.'s Sept. 30 business update, CEO Josh Weinstein said: 'In light of the continued closure of cruise operations in China and our Costa brand’s significant presence there pre-COVID, we are reducing Costa’s capacity by 10% from 2019 levels, while bolstering our highly successful Carnival Cruise Line brand through the previously announced transfer of three ships, including two via our innovative Costa by Carnival initiative launching in 2023.'

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

The latest cruise news, analysis and more straight to your inbox
Get the free newsletter read by industry experts

You May Also Like