The Costa shipping company will largely withdraw from Asia. Among other things, the company justified the step by saying that there would still be “uncertainty about the full resumption of international cruises in East Asia”. That is why we decided to take this step.

The official statement also reads: "In East Asia, Costa Crociere has decided to reorganize its structure in this region". Originally they wanted to grow strongly with a local offshoot called "Costa Asia". The corona pandemic, among other things, led to business in China and East Asia coming to an almost complete standstill.

As a result, people are withdrawing – at least for the time being – from this region and canceling cruises planned for the coming year. The exits of the Serena and Magica, which are to be used from this area, are affected. The ships are to be sent to sea from other parts of the world.

The ships Venezia and Firenze, originally intended for the Asian market, will in future be used as "Costa by Carnival" from North America. The Luminosa has already been withdrawn from Asia and is used for the main brand. However, Costa does not want to permanently withdraw from Asia and reserves the right to try again at a later date. "Asia remains a strategic area for the company and we will focus our activities on outbound sales through our local sales force," the company said.

The activities that Carnival carries out in cooperation with the China State Shipbuilding Corporation are excluded from the changes. The shipping company is only a minority shareholder in this joint venture.