Cruise market analysis 2014: The Costa Group is market leader in all the major markets in Continental Europe. In 2014, five out of ten guests in the major Continental European markets spent their vacation on board a cruise ship operated by the Costa Group.
GENOA/MIAMI – The current analysis by the CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) at the Cruise Ship Miami 2015 exhibition showcases in an impressive way that the cruise boom is continuing globally in overall terms. In 2014, five out of ten guests in the major Continental European markets spent their vacation on board a cruise ship operated by the Costa Group.
“Being market leader in the major European markets is an incentive for us to provide our guests with unique vacation experiences and the best service at all times. Five out of ten Continental European guests already book their cruise with us. I would like to thank our guests for the trust and confidence they have placed in us and also our numerous loyal sales partners for their support. We will expand our leadership position in Europe, as well as in Asia, with a wide variety of innovations and strong growth”, says Michael Thamm, CEO of the Costa Group. In November 2014, the company commissioned its flagship in the form of the Costa Diadema (4,947 passengers and 133,019 gross tonnage). This vessel underlines the new brand positioning of Costa Crociere as “Italy’s finest” with various exclusive cooperation agreements (e.g. Illy and Ferrari) and unique experiences. The Costa Group’s fleet will be enlarged by two further ships by 2016; these are currently being built for the AIDA brand by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries/ Nagasaki (Japan).
The current CLIA analysis shows rapid developments in passenger numbers for the major European cruise markets. The Costa Group is market leader in all the main markets in Continental Europe in this regard. Italy is currently the third-largest cruise market in Europe. The Costa Group is market leader in the 2014 analysis. Germany is now market leader in Europe and worldwide number two in the cruise market after the USA. With the AIDA and Costa brands, the Costa Group is the clear market leader, with German passengers booking every second cruise with the Costa Group brands. France is now number four in Europe, with impressive growth – Costa is also the clear market leader here with a market share of around 45% and higher growth than the market average, far ahead of the competition. In Spain, with a share of 40%, the Costa Group is also the market leader.
The Costa Group also occupies the leading position in the cruise market in China. Around four out of ten bookings in the rapidly growing Chinese market are made for Costa ships. This is impressively demonstrated by the voyage of the Costa Atlantica, which is currently on the first 86-day round-the-world cruise for Chinese passengers. This “world premiere” started in Shanghai on March 1st 2015. As early as April 2015, the Costa Serena will be the third Costa vessel offering cruises from China.
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