Cruise

Costa Doubling Indian Ocean Cruises

costa-cruises-india

Costa Cruises will be doubling the number of cruises it offers in the Indian Ocean for its winter 2016-2017 sailing season.

The Costa neoRomantica will operate 11 cruises of 14 days duration between Oct. 15, 2016 and March 4, 2017.

Departures are from Mauritius, with the ship heading to Madagascar for day calls to Nosy Be, Diego Suarez and Tamatave; the next stop, one day and one night, will be the island of Reunion; before returning to Mauritius.

The increase in the number of cruises in the Indian Ocean is the end result of an agreement signed in Paris this week, during the IFTM/Top Resa travel trade show, between Costa Cruises, the Seychelles Ministry of Tourism and the Vanilla Islands Organization (the organization that promotes tourism in the islands of the Indian Ocean).
Norbert Stiekema, executive vice-president sales & marketing of Costa Cruises, commented: “We are the only company proposing regular cruises to these unique islands of the Indian Ocean and offer our guests an exceptionally beautiful cruise experience. Thanks to the partnership agreement reached with local authorities, our tourism offer to these destinations will continue to grow, and during the 2016-17 winter season we plan on taking about 15,000 guests, and most of them European, on cruises to the islands.”

The agreement calls for cooperation and investments for promoting tourism, for improving port infrastructures and guest hospitality facilities, for flight connections and for the excursions offered to guests.