Carnival's New China-Bound Ship to Trace Marco Polo

Carnival Corporation is still building big for China, catering to the cruise market from several different angles. Its Costa Cruises brand is currently constructing the Costa Venezia—a new Vista-class ship named after Venice and set to share Italian culture with Chinese guests.

Costa was actually the first global cruise brand to enter China back in 2006 and has since established itself as a leader in the segment, well before the latest push by competitors.

Princess Cruises is another corporate cousin that has succeeded in the region, prompting the line to specifically build the recent Majestic Princess. Even beyond the Venezia, Carnival has plans to assemble another two Vista-class ships for a new domestic Chinese brand. The Costa one is being built in Italy, but the future pair will be constructed in China itself.

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The Vista-class is based on the Carnival Cruise Line brand’s latest Carnival Vista and upcoming Carnival Horizon sister-ship. While the first of the future Chinese-built ones is now scheduled to be introduced in 2023, the Costa Venezia will debut during 2019.

Its traditional coin ceremony was just held to celebrate early work on the first Vista-class vessel designed and constructed for China by the Fincantieri shipyard. A newly minted commemorative coin was placed in the ship’s keel for good luck.

“Costa Cruises is thrilled to have a new ship that is built to offer the best experience to Chinese consumers,” said Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia, in a press release.

“The Costa Venezia demonstrates our strong commitment and confidence in the world’s fastest growing cruise market. Her arrival in 2019 will further enhance our offerings for Chinese guests to reinforce our leading position in China.”

The 135,500-ton, 5,260-guest ship will embody the Venetian experience in food, art, music and entertainment including an onboard Carnival of Venice—all for the benefit of Chinese travelers.

“With the Costa Venezia, Costa Cruises is proud to showcase the allure of one of Italy’s most famous and culturally rich cities and regions to Chinese consumers,” said Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Group Asia, in the release.

“The planned addition of the ship to our Asia fleet is part of our continued efforts to innovate and consistently exceed our guests’ expectations by providing authentic and memorable Italian experiences to everyone who sails with us.”

READ MORE: A Timeline of Carnival Corporation’s Ever Growing List of New-Builds

Meanwhile, Carnival’s Princess brand also shares some American and British heritage with them, and the as-yet-unnamed Chinese brand will soon offer China a distinct domestic option.

Once the Costa Venezia is complete, an inaugural world cruise has been planned that will take it from Trieste, Italy all the way to Shanghai with stops in countries like Greece, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Vietnam and Japan in the middle. In so doing, the ship will trace Marco Polo’s routes between Italy and China.

Beyond the Venezia, the Costa brand intends to build another China-centric cruise ship for 2020 as well.

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