The cruise, aboard the Costa Atlantica, which recently arrived in Asia, will visit 23 destinations in 16 countries. Phuket will be one of them.
Costa Crociere Board Chairman and CEO Pier Luigi Foschi, who is also Asia chairman of parent company Carnival Corp, said after the signing, “As a pioneer of the cruise industry in China … Costa Cruises are always challenging ourselves to bring more innovative holiday options to this market.
“China’s first around-the-world cruise is a perfect example of this and is the lynchpin of our Asia strategy over the next couple of years, heralding a new milestone in China’s cruise industry.”
The General Manager of SAT, Shen Dayi, said, “We are confident that the partnership between SAT and Costa Cruises will be a strong one, and we firmly believe that the 83-day cruise in 2014 will be a huge success.”
The Costa Atlantica’s inaugural global cruise will depart from Shanghai on March 22 next year and include visits to Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau in Vietnam; Phuket; Colombo in Sri Lanka; Malé in the Maldives; Oman; Egypt; Greece; Italy; France; Spain, Portugal; the USA, Jamaica; the Panama Canal; Mexico; Hawaii; and Guam, returning to Shanghai on June 13.