For more than 70 years, the ships of the historic Costa Cruises brand have plied the seas of the world, offering the most diverse choice of cruise holidays with the unique Italian touch, based on Italy’s finest concept in terms of hospitality, gastronomy, style and fun. Costa Victoria, one of the fascinating ships of the Costa fleet, arrived at Mumbai today, where she will be homeporting for the 4th Indian season of the popular Italian brand. The start of her Indian season was celebrated in the presence of Mansukh L. Mandaviya, Union Minister of State for Shipping India, Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman Mumbai Port Trust and Ms Nalini Gupta, Managing Director Lotus Aero Enterprises, Representative of Costa Cruise India. Mansukh L Mandaviya, Union Minister of State for Shipping India, stated, “Cruise Tourism is currently one of the fastest developing verticals in the tourism sector in India. Over the years, Cruise Tourism has been recognized as an active component in the economic growth of any country and we also see it as a major source of employment because of its labor-intensive nature and the significant multiplier effect on employment in related sectors. I would like to congratulate Costa Cruises for their successful home porting since 2016.” Costa Victoria will commence cruises from 8th November 2019 to 29th February 2020. This is the 4th season that Costa Cruises will be homeporting in Indian waters and is the only international cruise liner in India to offer regular cruises of 3 to 7 Nights cruise itineraries from Mumbai to Kochi, Kochi to Maldives, Mumbai to Maldives and Maldives to Mumbai, confirming its strong interest in proactively developing the Indian cruise market. Commenting on the occasion, Sanjay Bhatia, Chairman of Mumbai Port Trust said, “This is a suitable time for cruise liners to come to India as the Government authorities are taking proactive steps to finally use our long coastline. I would like to acknowledge the initiatives of cruise companies like Costa Cruises that have taken the initiative to start sailings from Mumbai and exhibited their confidence in the Indian Government and Indian market. We are looking forward to home porting many more ships and building the Mumbai port as a leading port of India. We aim to exceed the expectations of the cruise liners and the cruisers, both domestic and international.” While, the Costa Cruise India office has always seen high interest in the 3 to 4 Nights sailings in the previous three seasons, this year, there is a significant increase in bookings on the 7 Nights Mumbai to Maldives and Maldives to Mumbai sailings. This is a positive sign indicating that the Indian traveler is now willing to explore cruises of a longer duration. The booked clients are a combination of individual travelers, corporate groups, large families and weddings, showcasing the diversity of the Indian market. Ms Nalini Gupta, Managing Director, Lotus Aero Enterprises, Representative of Costa Cruises in India, said “We are very excited to celebrate the success of our past three Mumbai Maldives sailing seasons. Today, cruise liners cater to multiple segments of travelers with their diverse facilities and amenities onboard. I am confident that this mode of holidaying will provide an exclusive way of travel for visitors seeking to discover new avenues of tourism.”