As first reported by Cruise Industry News, the leading independent media source covering the global cruise business, Costa will up its deployment in China to five ships in 2017 as the neoRomantica will join the Costa China fleet.

“The deployment of a fifth Costa ship in Asia in 2017, in addition to the two new fleet members that will be built specially for Costa Asia, will allow us to continue to significantly grow the Asian cruise market in particular China, which is set to become the second largest in the world by the end of the decade,” said Costa Group CEO Michael Thamm.

The Costa neoRomantica will arrive in Shanghai on April 10, 2017, after a 23-day positioning cruise departing on March 18, 2017 from Port Louis (Mauritius) and calling at Port Victoria (Seychelles), Malè (Maldives), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Phuket (Thailand), Singapore, Da Nang (Vietnam) and Hong Kong. 

Then the Costa neoRomantica will be drydocked in Shanghai, to perform renewal work that will customize the ship for its new Asian guests said Costa.

The first cruise dedicated to the local market is scheduled to sail from Shanghai on April 24.