Investor Relations

Costa Asia Cooperates with Conde Nast Traveler to Launch First VR Video in China

Shanghai, July 6, 2016 – Costa Asia announced that the cruise line will release a 4K panoramic VR video of a cruise ship, produced by Conde Nast Traveler. The video will give viewers an interactive onboard experience of the ship for the first time in China's cruise industry. Costa Asia has long been an innovator in the cruise industry and this initiative further illustrates the cruise line's continuing commitment to innovation.

Footage for the VR video was shot on Costa Fortuna, which is also known as "Museum at Sea". The video showcases the ship's exquisite interior decor as well as spectacular sea views, presenting a unique sensory experience for viewers. Different from panoramic photos widely used in previous travel products, the 4K high-resolution and real-time stitching technology provides a naturally smooth 720 degree panoramic view allowing the audience to experience the thrill and luxury of a cruise without ever having boarded a ship.

Launched in 1987, Conde Nast Traveler is a market-leading travel magazine with more than ten different editions and has "Truth in Travel" as its motto. Besides its print, Internet and mobile outlets, Conde Nast Traveler has cultivated a full spectrum capability in providing VR service solutions, including high-quality content creation and integrated platform distribution. Cooperation with the influential and high-quality magazine Conde Nast Traveler will present new opportunities to Costa Group Asia.

"I'm proud to announce our innovative VR project in cooperation with Conde Nast Traveler. With this groundbreaking initiative, we hope to attract more potential passengers by sharing our "Italy at Sea" cruise experience in this innovative way." said Costa Group Asia President Buhdy Bok. "It is our privilege to share experience of cruise vacations with people and continue to promote cruise culture in China. We are committed to providing passengers with innovative and high-quality products and services." Bok concluded.

This VR video will be distributed on the official WeChat and Weibo accounts of Costa Asia and Conde Nast Traveler. Several key online video platforms will also be used as the video's promotional channel. In addition, the video will be used by travel agencies for the promotion of Costa Cruise products. As the cooperative partner of Costa Group Asia, Conde Nast Traveler will insert the QR code of this VR video into its print publications. Consumers can scan the code and watch the VR video by using the cover-mounted cardboard glasses for a new reading experience.


What is VR?
Virtual Reality, also known as immersive multimedia or computer-simulated reality, is a computer technology used to reproduce an environment by simulating a user's physical experience through interaction. Virtual Reality in its current format was popularized by Jaron Lanier and his company VPL Research. VR is widely used in training, video games, fine arts, archaeology, architectural design, media and other fields.

About Costa Group

The Costa Group is the leading cruise company in Europe. The 26 ships of the brands Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Costa Asia together have a total capacity of 72,000 beds. The fleet will be further strengthened by 7 new vessels by 2020. The company has a global workforce of 27,000 employees working onboard and in its 20 offices in 14 countries.

Costa Group is the first international cruise company to operate homeport cruises in the China market since 2006. For the past 10 years, Costa Group holds the principle of customer-oriented and focuses on innovation and excelsior to bring Chinese passengers the most creative and high-quality cruise products with the flavor of "Italy at Sea".

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