Buhdy Bok (Costa Group Asia President)
From April 2017, the AIDAbella will be deployed in China year round to offer a premium “Made in Germany” cruise vacation experience for the booming Chinese market.
Costa Asia has launched the first marketing campaign of the AIDA brand in the Chinese market.
From April 2017, the AIDAbella will be deployed in China year round to offer a premium “Made in Germany” cruise vacation experience for the booming Chinese market.
“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.
AIDAbella will be prepared for service in Asia after a dockyard refit in spring of 2017. The ship and services will be customised for Chinese guests.
The ship will feature an authentic German Wirtshaus, plus a blend of Bavarian conviviality matched with modern far eastern cuisine, including the hot pot restaurant "Hot & Spicy".
Another unique experience on board will be the world-renowned German Oktoberfest beer festival, giving beer lovers an authentic German style atmosphere to enjoy the wide range of beers from a famous German brewery.
A distinguishing feature of the AIDAbella is entertainment at the atrium theatre, a theatre visible from three decks and surrounded by glass walls with state of the art sound and visual effects for entertainment.
AIDA cruises will be working with HandsOn Shanghai, a local NGO in China. Under a CSR programme named ‘ Make A Difference’ AIDA and HandsOn Shanghai will be supporting underprivileged children and encouraging them to make a difference through themed events such as Sports Day, Cruise Week Summer Camp, and tutoring sessions in science, nature, marine and navigation.