The Costa Crociere Group will carry out a significant restyling in Genoa on one of the fleet’s ship, with a total investment of 50 million euros, at San Giorgio del Porto shipyard.
With the agreement between Michael Thamm, managing director of the Costa Group and Carnival Asia, and Ferdinando Garrè, managing director of San Giorgio del Porto, the works will last about a month and will lead to the transformation of the Costa neoRiviera (which has been in service for the Costa Crociere brand) in the new Aidamira, destined instead for the German brand Aida Cruises. Both brands are part of the Costa Crociere Group.
The work will involve around 1000 employees, of which around 150 will be direct employees of the boatyard.
“This investment in the city of Genoa, with a partner as San Giorgio del Porto, is a concrete sign of our bond with Genoa and Liguria and of the benefit that our Group can give to the territory – said Michael Thamm – In a year the Group generated an economic impact in Europe of 12.6 billion euros and over 63 thousand jobs. Shipbuilding is the larger part of this impact. Italy is among the favourite destinations, with 3.2 million passengers, a figure destined to grow thanks also to Aidamira, which next summer will touch three ports in southern Italy “.
The last Costa neoRiviera trip – 11 nights in the Mediterranean – will end on October 29, in Savona. The next day the ship will arrive in Genoa and work will begin, which will last until November 28. In the end, a completely renovated ship will come out, which will arrive in Palma de Mallorca on November 29 to be renamed as Aidamira.
The ship will be the fourth unit of the “Aida Selection” family and will have large outdoor spaces, 5 restaurants, 7 bars, a 1.100 square meter wellness area and 700 cabins (125 with private balcony or solarium terrace).
After the 4-night vernissage cruise in the western Mediterranean, the ship will be placed in South Africa, offering 14-day cruises from Cape Town. From May to September 2020 two different one-week itineraries will alternate, which can be combined in a single 14-days cruise, departing from Corfu: one directed to Athens, Santorini, Crete and Brindisi, and the other to Malta, Catania, Crotone, Olimpia and Kefalonia.