Costa Cruises restarts from Savona with the flagship Costa Smeralda
The restart of the Italian company marks the recovery of an entire sector, the cruise industry, which is essential for the local economy.
On Saturday, May 1, Costa Cruises restarted again from Savona, with its LNG-powered flagship Costa Smeralda sailing on an itinerary exclusively dedicated to Italy. To celebrate the restart of Costa Smeralda, local and port authorities attended the ceremony at the port of Savona, along with Costa Cruises President Mario Zanetti, Carnival Corporation said.
The restart of the Italian-flagged cruise company marks an important economic recovery for the entire territory: indeed, before the Covid-19 emergency, Costa generated in Italy an economic impact of €3.5 billion per year and over 17,000 direct and indirect jobs.
The Costa Smeralda's week-long itinerary includes Savona, Civitavecchia/Rome, Naples, Messina, Cagliari and La Spezia, and can also be divided into two mini-cruises of 3 or 4 days for those who prefer a shorter holiday.
Costa Smeralda cruises departing from Saturday will follow the procedures set out in the Costa Safety Protocol, the protocol developed by Costa together with scientific experts and Italian authorities, which includes enhanced health and safety measures for all aspects of the holiday experience, both on board and ashore. The protocol includes, for example, swabbing all guests before embarkation and after half of the cruise, visiting destinations with protected excursions, new ways of using on-board services, and wearing a mask when necessary.
Costa Smeralda will be the first of a total of four Costa ships to operate during the summer of 2021, offering cruises in the Mediterranean.
On the days when Costa ships are not operating, the Palacrociere terminal in Savona, managed by Costa Cruises, will continue to be used by ASL 2 Savona (local Public Health Unit) for the Covid-19 vaccination campaign, contributing to the distribution of the vaccine in the Savona area.