Costa Cruises has entered its second tripartite partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Changi Airport Group (CAG).
The three-year 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 cruise company said. .
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 during the three year period.
Costa Cruises claimed to be the first cruise company in the world to start regular cruises in Asia back in 2006. Currently four ships are based in Asia year round. The 3,470 pax ‘Costa Fortuna’ is currently deployed in the Far East and will be based at Singapore from mid November, 2018 to March, 2019.
“We are thrilled to strengthen the opportunity to further develop such an exotic destination like Singapore, where Costa has a long standing presence and which offers a big potential for the cruise holiday market thanks also to the presence of the international Changi Airport,” said Neil Palomba, Costa Cruises President.
Singapore is a popular gateway to the Southeast Asian region for cruise visitors, due to its strategic location, dynamic tourism landscape, and leading air and cruise infrastructure. In 2017, Singapore played host to 421 ship calls with a passenger throughput of 1.38 mill. This represented an increase of 3% and 17%, respectively over the 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, STB’s Assistant Chief Executive, Policy & Planning Group.
Changi Airport Group’s Managing Director for Air Hub Development, Lim Ching Kiat, added, “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.”
