Today, Costa Asia launched the first marketing campaign for AIDA Cruises in China, preparing for the arrival of the AIDAbella in April of 2017. The brand platform is simply: “Made in Germany.”

“The ongoing growth of AIDA has made Germany the second biggest cruise market in the world. With our Costa Asia brand, we have pioneered the way into China since 2006 and were the first international shipping company to develop the cruise market there. The expansion of our product portfolio to include an AIDA Cruises ship in the fastest-growing market in the world is a strategic step for the further successful development of Costa and AIDA”, said Michael Thamm, CEO of the Costa Group.

The AIDAbella will be prepared for service in Asia after a dockyard refit in spring of 2017. Without changing the essence of the successful AIDA brand, the ship and services will be customized to the wishes and demands of Chinese guests, said a statement.

Under the motto “Made in Germany, the ship will feature an authentic German Wirtshaus, plus a blend of Bavarian conviviality that meets with modern far eastern cuisine in the spacious 5-star buffet restaurant “World of Asia”, where the hot pot restaurant “Hot & Spicy” will be integrated.

Another unique experience onboard will be the German Oktoberfest beer festival.

“We are delighted to see a growing number of first time cruisers develop into our repeat guests over the last decade in China. The arrival of the AIDAbella in April 2017 will provide our Chinese guests with more vacation options in the premium segment and allow us to meet the expectations of a wider range of audience,” said Buhdy Bok, Costa Asia’s president.