Carnival’s Costa Cruises Cancels Asia Routes Amid No Foreseeable End to China’s Zero-COVID Policy
Costa Cruises, a unit of U.S. cruising giant Carnival, is canceling all future Asia departures amid diminishing hopes for Beijing to ease its zero-COVID approach and stringent border restrictions in the foreseeable future.
The company released a statement on Oct. 25 that it has decided to cancel its Asian home ports cruise programs and reorganize its structure in East Asia due to “continuing uncertainties regarding the full restart of international cruises in [the region].”
The Asian cruise market includes China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea, with China as the largest market. According to Chinese state-run Xinhua News, the number of cruise passengers in China reached 2.19 million in 2018, accounting for over 50 percent of total cruise passengers in Asia….