Tag Archives: Limassol

Costa Venezia Set to Sail New Program from Istanbul

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Costa Venezia’s new cruises to Turkey and Greece will make their debut from Istanbul on May 1.

Costa said the new deployment marks the collaboration between itself, Turkish Airlines, the Turkish National Tourist Board and Galataport Istanbul.

The proposed formula is the “flight+cruise” package, available from all the main European countries, with scheduled Turkish Airlines flights, which will make it possible to reach Istanbul easily, and then embark on board Costa Venezia from the new Galataport cruise terminal, equipped with all the comforts and services for the next generation of ships.

“Our restart program ahead of summer is strengthened by a truly unique offer. The main new feature of Costa Venezia cruises is the possibility of visiting the best of Turkey in a single holiday, starting from Istanbul, one of the most beautiful cities in the world. We believe Turkey has great potential for cruises, and we are trying to be the first to develop it. Istanbul can be reached from the main European countries in just a few hours’ flight time, it has good air connections and modern ports, as well as a mild climate that makes it possible to operate all year round, and above all, it offers an incredible variety of experiences and attractions,” said Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises.

The Costa Venezia’s program in Turkey includes three different itineraries, all with embarkation and disembarkation in Istanbul, designed to include longer calls in the ports to enjoy the destinations with plenty of time, among cities rich in history, splendid archaeological and UNESCO World Heritage sites and clear seas.

From May 1 to November 13 2022, the Costa Venezia will offer two one-week itineraries dedicated to Turkey and Greece, interchanging with each other, which can be combined into a single 15-day “super tour”, with eight calls in port longer than 10 hours.

The first itinerary is ideal for those who want to explore the best of Turkey and Greece in one holiday. It includes a two-day, one-night call in Istanbul, the Turkish destinations of Izmir and Bodrum, the island of Mykonos and Athens in Greece.

The second itinerary allows exploring some of Greece’s out-of-the-ordinary locations and the best of Turkey. It includes two two-day, one-night calls in Istanbul and Kusadasi, Turkey, before heading off to explore Rhodes and Heraklion, Greece.

In winter 2022-23, the Costa Venezia will be offering a third 12-day itinerary to Turkey, Egypt, Israel and Cyprus, visiting Istanbul (with a two-day, one-night call), Bodrum, Limassol, Haifa (also with a two-day, one-night call), Alexandria and Kusadasi. From spring 2023, the two itineraries in Turkey and Greece will resume.

A Promising 2021 for Limassol Cruise Terminal

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Cruising is back to DP World Limassol’s Cruise Terminal, said its Commercial Manager Lazaros Charalambous.

“Cruises are going strong until October 2021,” he told Cruise Industry News.

Royal Caribbean, Celestyal, Seabourn, Azamara and Celebrity have all either already returned or are about to return to Cyprus with their ships this summer.

“Moreover, cruise lines have been taking the necessary steps to ensure that COVID-19 does not spread to their cruise ships, with many requiring passengers to be vaccinated or hold a negative PCR test. This has boosted the morale of cruise lovers, who have been itching to get back to the seas for some time now,” said Charalambous.

He added that the Cyprus government has prepared and announced a “rigorous health protocol for cruises, which will add to the momentum of the industry.”

“As it comes to the year 2022, I believe that demand will continue to increase, as more passengers will be vaccinated and keener than ever to travel. I strongly believe that (Cyprus) has great potential to further develop the cruise sector and attract many more cruise lines and passengers,” Charalambous noted. “Cyprus’ stakeholders, including DP World Limassol, are hard at work to promote the safe conduct of cruise tourism and successfully seize the opportunity of the widespread reshuffling happening in the cruising industry because of the pandemic, with a view to establishing the Limassol port as a major cruise hub in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

According to him, DP World Limassol operates a strict environmental policy in an effort to reduce its footprint as much as possible.

“We use energy-efficient processes and products, regularly monitor and seek to improve energy efficiency across our operations, while we have adopted an ‘impact and sustainability’ and recycling policy throughout our business. At the global level, DP World aims to reduce its output per unit of movement by increasing efficiency and promoting clean energy, with the ultimate goal being to create a zero-emission supply chain across our networks,” Charalambous said.

The port also tries to forge partnerships with local organizations and boost its community engagement.

“We regularly join forces with the local municipality as well as civil society organizations like CYMEPA, to carry out a series of activities such as beach clean-ups, supporting them in their efforts to make Limassol a greener city. Our aim is to help Cyprus achieve its sustainability targets by investing in the port’s equipment, digitization and automation. Such investments, boost the port’s efficiency and resilience, helping it reduce its environmental footprint,” Charalambous said.

The port is always assessing the best international practices while monitoring its own facilities to identify areas for improvement, he explained. “Most recently, we opened two duty-free shops within the terminal, providing exclusive offers on luxury items and a comfortable shopping experience. We have (also) upgraded our check-in equipment, and we are working with the local authorities to improve the overall efficiency of the terminal,” explained Charalambous.

He said that he believes that the pandemic has presented the port industry with “an opportunity to embrace digitization and automation.”

“DP World has always heavily invested in state-of-the-art digital equipment and is continuously introducing innovations in terminal operations that boost resilience and automation, thereby allowing us to evolve and enhance the services we offer our customers. Indicatively, at DP World Limassol, we have introduced digital payment solutions, while this past February, we launched the new ZODIAC cloud-based Terminal Operating System (TOS). The migration into ZODIAC TOS was a big milestone for us at DP World Limassol,” he said.

“The new system helps us reduce maintenance costs and improve productivity, while it connects all supply chain participants through a single integrated platform, which provides real-time information on vessel, yard, gate and rail movements,” Charalambous added.