The vessel will offer 30 sailings in total: six will take place in June, dedicated to the South Korean market, with 24 planned for the Taiwan market from July to September.
Prior to the pause in operations in January 2020, the 3,780-passenger Costa Serena offered cruises In East Asia, with departures from China. News reports last month indicated the line would be returning to Taiwan, but a Costa spokesman at the time stated the information was ‘not official.’
The agreement
Signing of commercial agreements relating to the series of cruises took place on board Costa Toscana in Dubai, deployed in the Arabian Gulf through winter 2022/23.
The ceremony was attended by Mario Zanetti, president, Costa Cruises, Roberto Alberti, SVP & CCO, Costa Cruises, as well as representatives of the 10 local partners supporting Costa Serena’s Asia programme.
A sign of Asia’s recovery
‘The restart of Costa Serena, ahead of her original schedule, is further confirmation of the growing appreciation of Costa cruises in all the global markets where we operate,’ stated Zanetti. ‘In particular, the new cruises announced today are an important signal for the recovery of the industry in Asia.’
He went on to add that the line has achieved ‘this significant result thanks to our historic presence in Asia and established relationship with local partners, as well as the recent reopening to cruising of some countries in the area.’
Itineraries
The itineraries, lasting from four to seven days, include various destinations in East Asia, including Sasebo, Kagoshima, Otaru, Hakodate, Naha, Miyakojima and Ishigaki in Japan. Departures are scheduled from the ports of Busan, Sokcho and Pohang in South Korea, and Keelung, Taiwan.
