Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
Italian cruise line Costa Cruises' Costa Atlantica made a historic call in New York City on Tuesday, signalling the first time a cruise ship carrying only Chinese passengers has arrived in the U.S.
The Carnival Corporation brand confirmed the notable arrival in a press release on Tuesday. The three-day visit and first of seven scheduled U.S. calls this spring will conclude on Thursday, when the ship heads south to Miami.
The 86-day roundtrip global voyage departed from Shanghai on March 1, and is the first cruise of its kind to be offered exclusively to the Chinese market.
"Costa Atlantica's arrival in New York carrying only Chinese guests marks a milestone for inbound Asia tourism for the United States and for Carnival Corporation," said Carnival Corporation president and CEO Arnold Donald in a statement. "We have made significant investments in China's cruise market, which will one day be the largest in the world."
"Costa Atlantica's arrival in the U.S. today underscores the fast-growing popularity of cruising worldwide as a great vacation experience at a great value," added Donald.
Here's a look at the Costa Atlantica's much anticipated arrival in the Big Apple on Tuesday courtesy of W42ST on Twitter:
After calling in Miami on April 19, the Costa Atlantica will sail to Los Angeles for a three-day call (May 3-5) and then stop in San Francisco (May 6) before calling at three different Hawaiian ports (May 11-13).
The Costa Atlantica, one of three Costa Cruises vessels currently homeported in China, has been dedicated to the Chinese market for the past two years, and underwent a $20.4 million restyling as recently as January 2015 in preparation for this year's world cruise.
The Genoa-based cruise line has been operating in China for the past decade, and is likely to ramp up its offerings given the region's tremendous growth and the demand generated as a result.
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