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Costa Venezia, The First Costa Cruises Ship Built Specifically For The Chinese Market, Will Be Named In Trieste

Thenaming ceremony for the ship, currently under construction at Fincantieri, willtake place on March 1, 2019 with a firework display involving the whole city ofTrieste. Costa Venezia will offer the best of Italian hospitality to Chinesecustomers, strengthening the leadership of Costa in China. It is part of anexpansion plan that includes 7 new ships being delivered to the Costa Group by2023, with an investment of over 6 billion euros.

Genoa,December 7, 2018 – Thenaming ceremony for Costa Veneziawill be held in Trieste on March 1, 2019. The ship, currentlyunder construction at the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard, is the first Costa Cruises vessel designedspecifically to offer the best of Italy to the Chinese market.

Costa Venezia is part of an expansion plan that includes seven new ships being delivered to theCosta Group by 2023, for a total investment of over 6 billion euros. Witha gross tonnage of 135,500 tonnes, a length of 323 meters and capacity for over5,100 guests, Costa Venezia is the biggest ship ever introduced to the Chinesemarket by Costa. It will offer a seriesof previously unseen innovations designed specifically for Chinese customers,introducing guests to Italian culture, style and taste, starting from theinteriors inspired by the city of Venice.

Theprogramme for the Costa Venezia naming celebrations in Trieste, which iscurrently being finalized with the addition of further important events thatmay be announced in the coming months, envisages getting the whole cityinvolved by way of a firework display that will be visible from Piazza Unitàd'Italia and giant screens for viewers to follow the ribbon-cutting ceremony.The event will be attended by around 1,500guests from China, South Korea,Japan and several European countries, and they will also have the opportunityto discover Trieste and its surrounding area, as the ship will be moored in thecity until March 3, when it will depart for its first cruise. This is a furtherpositive effect for the region in addition to the benefits of the constructionof the ship, taking place in the Monfalcone shipyard as this involves thousandsof workers in the shipyard and along the supply chain.

"We are very happy to be celebrating thenaming of Costa Venezia in such a beautiful Italian city as Trieste. Costa wasthe first company to operate in China in 2006 and over the years we haveestablished ourselves as a leader, offering a product focused on Italianexcellence. Costa Venezia will feature other unprecedented innovations,designed specifically to offer Chinese customers a real Italian experience,marking a new era for both Costa and the whole Chinese market, which is amongthe most promising in the world in terms of future growth" - according to Mario Zanetti, President of Costa GroupAsia.

Mayor of Trieste RobertoDipiazza stated: "It is a greatpleasure for the city of Trieste to host the naming ceremony of this new shipby Costa. With great pride, both from an institutional and personal point ofview, I applaud this new jewel, which is the result of the work of the besttalents in shipbuilding and Italian design who reside in our region and city.Our expertise, our values are well rooted in the Costa Group. This new ship,along with the other "queens" that we had the pleasure of admiring in our Gulf,will be another ambassador of Made in Italy in the world. There is a strongbond of mutual respect between Trieste and the Costa Group, that I am sure willcontinue to strengthen in the future".

Costa Venezia will make it possible for its Chinese guests to experience the uniqueness of Venetian and Italian culture. The ship's theater will be inspired by Venice's "La Fenice" theater; the main atrium will be reminiscent of "St. Mark's Square", while the restaurants will imitate the typical architecture of Venetian alleys and squares. On board there will also be real gondolas, made by craftsmen in the Squero di San Trovaso, while an enchanting costume party will recreate the magical atmosphere of the famous Venice Carnival. Guests will be able to savor the delicacies of Italian cuisine, go shopping in the on-board shops which stock many famous Italian brands and enjoy the internationally-renowned Italian entertainment. They will also feel at home thanks to a wide choice of Chinese cuisine, Chinese-style karaoke and parties like the "Golden Party", full of surprises and gifts to win every ten minutes.

The first Costa Venezia cruise, its vernissage, will depart from Trieste on March 3, 2019 and sail to Greece and Croatia. On March 8, the ship will be back in Trieste for the start of its maiden cruise: an exceptional 53-day journey following in the steps of Marco Polo across the Mediterranean, the Middle East, South East Asia and East Asia, and ending in Tokyo. The vernissage and maiden cruises will be the only departures available for European and American guests wanting to enjoy a vacation on the new ship. From May 18, 2019, Costa Venezia will be dedicated exclusively to Chinese guests, offering cruises in Asia departing from Shanghai.

CostaVenezia will be the second Costa ship named in Trieste: in 2011, in thesplendid setting of Piazza Unità d'Italia, celebrations were held for thenaming of Costa Favolosa. After Costa Venezia, the group's next ship to comeinto service, in October 2019, will be Costa Smeralda, the new Costa Cruises flagship and the first ship forthe global market fuelled by LNG. A second ship designed exclusively for theChinese market, a sister ship to Costa Venezia, is currently under constructionby Fincantieri in Marghera, with delivery expected in 2020.

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The Costa Group is the leading cruise company inEurope and Asia, headquartered in Genoa (Italy). The 26 ships of the brandsCosta Cruises, AIDA Cruises and Costa Asia together have a total capacity of morethan 74,000 beds. The fleet will be further strengthened by 7 new vessels by2023. The company has a global workforce of 27,000 employees working onboardand in its 20 offices in 14 countries.

For further information:

CostaCruises

GabrieleBaroni – Communication Director – cell +39 349 7668013 - baroni@costa.it

DavideBarbano – Media Relations manager – cell +39 334 6525216 - barbano@costa.it

CristianoDe Musso - Head of Corporate Communication – cell. + 39 334 6805095 - demusso@costa.it

Pressreleases and photos available at www.costapresscenter.com

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