Amid the election buzz, the city hosted over 2,500 foreign tourists, who landed at Mumbai Port Trust as part of a 109-night world cruise.
Costa Luminosa, known as the ‘Ship of Lights’ with 120 Murano glass chandeliers, accommodating approximately 3,000 guests, made a stopover at Mumbai, where guests disembarked for a city excursion on a sweltering Monday. The ship, which boasts of having 70% balcony cabins, sailed from Venice on January 5 and will return to the northeastern Italian port city on April 27.
Besides Kochi, Goa and now Mumbai in India, the 10-year-old vessel has visited 25 countries, which include France, Spain, Morocco, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile besides the United Kingdom, French Polenesia, New Zealand and Australia. In South-East Asia, the ports of call included Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, before heading to India and onward to Dubai, Oman, Jordan and Greece.
Nalini Udai Gupta, managing director, Lotus Destinations, which represents Costa in India, said Costa Cruises has seen immense growth in Indian passenger numbers. “This has also been possible with the support of the Mumbai Port Trust officials and the government, who are beginning to understand cruising and are seeing it as a big opportunity to build the Blue Economy of the country,” she said.
Costa Cruises, which has been offering regular cruises directly from Mumbai to Cochin, Cochin to Maldives, and Maldives to Mumbai, confirmed its interest in developing the Indian cruise market on completing their third successful India season. After completing its world cruise itinerary, Costa Luminosa will be deployed in Venice on an East Mediterranean itinerary covering the Greek Isles from April until almost November.
New cruiseliner India
Costa neoRiviera, which was homeported in Mumbai from December 2018 to March 2019, hosted over 10,000 Indian guests for a four-night Mumbai to Cochin and seven-night Maldives to Mumbai itinerary, showcasing the strong demand for cruises within India. “The India season for the ship witnessed a diverse range of Indian travellers, from weddings on board, corporate incentive groups, individual travellers and large families,” she said.
On November 8, Costa Victoria will make its inaugural call in Mumbai for the Mumbai to Cochin and Maldives to Mumbai sailings, at a starting price of ₹33,000 per person and ₹46,000 per person respectively. To encourage families to travel together, Costa is offering a kids-below-18-years free policy for a shared cabin, whereby children have to pay only port taxes and minimal charges.
The newly-refurbished cruise ship has 14 decks (12 for guest use), three swimming pools, four jacuzzis, 10 bars, five restaurants, a fully-equipped casino, theatre, disco and a ballroom. Costa Victoria also has magic shows, operas and dancers.
Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman, Mumbai Port Trust, said, “Costa Cruises has been one of our premium clients regularly docking at Mumbai Port, proactively helping to build the Indian cruise market. The Mumbai Port is in the process of setting up a state-of-the-art cruise terminal, scheduled to be inaugurated in November or December 2019. We look forward to welcoming bigger and more ships in the near future.”
