Costa Cruises to launch Luxury Cruises from Mauritius

Mauritius, the splendid island in the Indian Ocean renowned for its endless white beaches and lush vegetation, is set to become a new international cruise destination. In December 2007 Costa Crociere, the Italian luxury cruise company will become one of, if not the first operator worldwide to offer Indian Ocean cruises departing from Mauritius.

“In 2008 we will confirm our role as leaders in innovation,” said Costa Crociere Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi, “and we will be able to offer our customers a truly unique holiday destination, never before marketed by a cruise operator. Following the opening of new routes in Asia and out of Dubai last year, next winter there will also be cruises from Mauritius, which are already proving to be popular judging from the advance bookings. For these cruises we’re aiming in particular at customers in our main markets of reference in Europe, but we also have an eye on Asia, where Mauritius and the other stopovers on the itinerary are more and more in demand as vacation destinations. I wish to thank the authorities of Mauritius for their cooperation and commitment, which have enabled us to be the first to offer cruise departures from this splendid island.”

“We are proud to have such a prestigious partner bringing quality visitors to our island,” said Mauritius’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Tourism, Transport and Communications Xavier Luc Duval. “Thanks to the high standard of the tourist facilities and the wide range of excursions, Mauritius is the ideal base for this operation, which will reveal to an international clientele not only our turquoise sea, but also the rich heritage of our hinterland, our culture and our traditions. We are sure that this operation will have beneficial effects on our tourist industry and on other sectors of our economy. In 2006 we had over 510,000 tourists coming from Europe, of which 69,407 Italians.”

In the course of the 2007/2008 winter season the Costa Marina, a 25,600 gross tonnage member of the Costa fleet with total Guest capacity of 1000, will set sail from Mauritius every Saturday on six 14-day cruises (16 days counting the flights to and from Italy and elsewhere in Europe) in the Indian Ocean.

The first departure is scheduled for December 21, 2007, with the last one on February 29, 2008. The itinerary includes 2-day stopovers in Mauritius and Mahè (Seychelles), and one-day calls at Mombasa (Kenya), Mayotte, Nosy Be (Madagascar), Toamasina (Madagascar) and Reunion. 

In addition, there will be two 27-day positioning cruises (including the flights): one from Savona to Mauritius, leaving November 26, 2007 and taking in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, the Seychelles, Kenya, Mayotte and Madagascar, while the other will sail from Mauritius to Savona, with departure on March 14, 2008 and the same route in the opposite direction.

The Costa Marina will bring a total of around 11,000 passengers to Mauritius, mainly Europeans, in particular from Italy, France, Germany, Spain and the UK. They will fly from Europe (Milan, London and Paris) to Mauritius and embark there on the liner. Guests are also expected to arrive from Asia and China, where since March 2006 Costa Crociere has had two representative offices - one in Shanghai and the other in Hong Kong - promoting and marketing all its cruises.

The cruises out of Mauritius on the Costa Marina will feature guided shore excursions in each port of call, with the chance to visit some of the local highlights. The main attraction is represented by the superb beaches – Mauritius itself, Mahè in the Seychelles, Mayotte and Reunion – but there is no shortage of sightseeing excursions, such as the Pamplemousses Botanical Gardens, which first opened in 1735, Tsavo East National Park safaris in Kenya, in one of the world’s largest game sanctuaries, daytrips to see the wildlife at Parc Ivoloina in Madagascar, the tour of Mombasa Old Town with a spectacular ‘son et lumière’ presentation portraying the historical struggles between the Arabs and the Portuguese for control of the city, as well as dolphin-watching trips at Mayotte or the blue safari in Mauritius, exploring the superb barrier reef and coral gardens.

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