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Costa Cruises And “I Borghi Più Belli d’Italia” Together To Promote The Heritage Of Secret Italy

International guests arriving inItalian ports on board Costa ships will have the chance to discover ten smalltowns of great artistic and cultural interest

Rome, 26 October 2017 - Thesustainability, promotion and accessibility of the cultural and regionalheritage of "secret" Italy are the principles that underpin the new partnershiplaunched between Costa Cruises and Associazione de I Borghi più belli d'Italia, whichwas presented today at the head offices of the National Tourism Agency in Rome.

With the initiative "The Towns, a heritage to discover and promote",the Italian cruise company and the association that showcases small yetfascinating Italian towns intend to promote as-yet unexplored Italian artisticand cultural heritage of great value and interest to a broad international public.In fact, ten of the most stunning small towns will become the destinationsof new excursions proposed to passengers arriving in Italian ports on Costaships.

The project is in line with the 2017-2021 Strategic Tourism Plan drawn up by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritageand Activities and Tourism whose guiding principles aresustainability, innovation and accessibility and which has dedicated 2017 tothe promotion of Italian towns. To this end, the excursions to the towns willtake the form of walking tours with the active involvement of the local communities,and will seek to propose truly unique alternativetourist itineraries that can contribute to making theseprecious locations part of Italy's tourism industry.

The ten Towns forming part of the programme (nine of which belong to theAssociation) were selected on the basis of their proximity to Costa ports,their accessibility and ability to host visitors, and the uniqueness of thetourist experience: Seborga and Montemarcello in Liguria; ArquàPetrarca in Veneto; Orvieto in Umbria; Civita di Bagnoregioin Lazio; Locorotondo in Puglia; Castiglione di Sicilia, MontalbanoElicona and Salemi in Sicily; Atrani in Campania.

The new programme of excursions involves transfers by bus from the portat which the Costa ship is docked to the town, with the assistance of thecompany's onboard staff. Local reps will welcome passengers and provide supportduring the activities to discover the site. The walking tours of the towns,planned with the local councils, will focus on introducing visitors to thefinest local artistic heritage and panoramas. Passengers will be accompanied bylocal guides who will tell them about local history and traditions, promotingthe local craft activities and cuisine.

The first excursions will beorganised in mid-November during stops in Savona, Civitavecchia, Palermo,Venice, Bari and Messina by Costa Diadema, Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa.The new tours will be promoted, both in Italy and abroad, via all of the company'scommunication channels and also directly on board the ships, thus guaranteeingthe international visibility of the ten Italian towns.

"It is a great opportunity for our towns to show off their beauty toan international audience" - comments Fiorello Primi, Chairman of I Borghipiù belli d'Italia - "to tell them about their history and traditions, andto reveal the art of "good living" and the most authentic Italian ways of lifethat they embody".

"This project has a truly innovative vision andfits with our strategy of contributing to the long-term sustainable developmentof the Italian regions. The itineraries for the visits to the towns wereplanned together with the local councils, which were very happy to receive ourpassengers. For Costa the initiativemarries perfectly with our mission to act as global ambassadors for Italy'sfinest. The guests that arrive in Italy aboard our ships come from around 100different countries: we give them the chance to enjoy a truly authentic, absorbingand wonderful experience that they will remember forever and that will maketheir cruise holiday even more special. An integral part of this project is thepromotion of our towns, to which we will guarantee a continuous flow ofvisitors on a yearly basis. In fact, the tours will also be organised duringthe week and during the low season – explains Neil Palomba, President of CostaCruises.

"The virtuous partnership between CostaCruises and the I Borghi piùbelli d'Italia association is in line with the Italian tourism governance approachenvisioned by the 2017-2022 Strategic Tourism Plan. A document shared with Italian Ministries,Regions, ANCI (Italian Municipalities Association), trade unions and tradeassociations that has identified the goals for re-establishing our world leadershipin a sector that today in Italy is worth €171 billion, the equivalent of 11.8%of the GDP and 12.8% of employment", remarked Cultural Heritage and TourismUndersecretary, Antimo Cesaro. "The tourism that we envisage – hecontinued - is innovative, sustainable, widespread and suitably promoted,and engages all of the stakeholders involved, both public and private. Thisspecific initiative seals the success of our "Anno dei Borghi" (Year of theTowns), with a +74% increase in presences recorded in rural areas, and lays thefoundations for the years to come. Italyis full of Towns of incredible beauty but unfortunately many are suffering fromthe worrying phenomenon of depopulation, particularly among the younger agegroups. With projects like this - concluded Cesaro - we will be able notonly to ease crowding in the big tourist cities by offering Italian andinternational visitors unforgettable experiences based on culture, relaxationand cuisine; we will also contribute to kick-starting the economy of smalltowns and creating job opportunities".

For additional details:

I Borghi più bellid'Italia

Monica Gillocchi - Press Office -Tel. +39 338 6151369 - monica.gillocchi@gmail.com

Costa Cruises

Press Office -Tel. +39 010 5483523 / 010 5483068 - costapressoffice@costa.it

Gabriele Baroni –Communication Director – mob. +39 3497668013 - baroni@costa.it

Davide Barbano -Media Relations Manager - Tel. +39010.5483523 - +39 334.6525216 – barbano@costa.it

Cristiano deMusso – Head of Corporate Communication – Tel. +39 010 5483068 – mob. +393346805095 - demusso@costa.it

Press releasesand photos are available at www.costapresscenter.com

Ufficio stampa MiBACT - Sottosegretarioai beni culturali e al turismo, Antimo Cesaro

Vassili Casula – +39 3283650554 vassili.casula@beniculturali.it

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