Costa Cruises has announced that it has entered its second tripartite partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Changi Airport Group (CAG). The three-year tripartite partnership will leverage Costa’s global presence, Singapore’s cruise hub status and Changi Airport’s air hub connectivity to further enhance Southeast Asia’s appeal as a cruise destination.
The partnership will see joint-marketing initiatives rolled out in different countries where Costa operates worldwide and includes creating attractive packages, especially for Costa’s guests. It is expected to bring in over 100,000 international fly-cruise visitors to Singapore over three years. Costa Cruises was the first cruise company in the world to start regular cruises in Asia back in 2006. Currently, four ships out of the 14 total of the Costa fleet are based in Asia year round. The Costa Fortuna is a ship with a total capacity of 3,470 guests, and currently deployed in the Far East will be homeported at Singapore from mid-Nov. 2018 to March 2019.
“Costa Cruises is a pioneering company in the cruise market, constantly innovating its product offer in order to deliver guests an unforgettable cruise holiday experience. We are thrilled to strengthen the opportunity to further develop such an exotic destination like Singapore, where Costa has a longstanding presence and which offer a big potential for the cruise holiday market thanks also to the presence of the international Changi Airport.” said Neil Palomba, President of Costa Cruises.
Singapore is a popular gateway to the Southeast Asian region for cruise visitors, due to its strategic location and leading air and cruise infrastructure. In 2017, Singapore welcomed 421 ship calls and logged a passenger throughput of 1.38 million. This represents an increase of 3 percent and 17 percent respectively over 2016 figures.
“STB is delighted to enter into another partnership with Costa Cruises and Changi Airport Group. Costa Cruises is a valued partner that has homeported out of Singapore for over 10 years. This latest collaboration will leverage Costa’s strong brand in key long-haul markets in Europe to further diversify our cruise visitor source markets, and strengthen Singapore’s position as the region’s homeport of choice,” said Yap Chin Siang, Assistant Chief Executive, Policy & Planning Group of STB.
Changi Airport Group’s Managing Director for Air Hub Development, Lim Ching Kiat said, “With Changi Airport’s strong air connectivity to more than 400 cities worldwide, Singapore is well-positioned to serve as a cruise hub for the region. We are excited to enter a second tripartite partnership with Costa Cruises and Singapore Tourism Board, as this will provide greater opportunity to grow the fly-cruise segment – part of our strategy to provide sustained growth for our partners and the Changi air hub.”
Costa Cruises, www.costacruises.com; Singapore Tourist Board, www.stb.gov.sg