COSTA Cruises is offering six new itineraries for the 2013-14 winter season that span the Canary Islands and North Africa, UAE, eastern and western Mediterranean, the Caribbean and South America.

Costa’s global strategy for the 2013-14 winter season focuses on supporting development of emerging markets as well as continuing to offer the line��s most popular cruise destinations.

“Costa Cruises is always looking to expand our itinerary offerings to entice first-time and repeat guests to explore new destinations while enjoying our famous Italian style of cruising,” said Scott Knutson, vice president of sales and marketing for Costa Cruises North America.

“This new line-up of cruises means there’s something new next year in virtually every market where we sail.”

The new itineraries include 10- and 11-night cruises on Costa Classica to the Canary Islands and Morocco, departing from St. Cruz de Tenerife with overnight calls allowing for two full days at Casablanca, Morocco, and Funchal, Madeira, and seven-night cruises on Costa Fortuna from Dubai, UAE, with overnight calls with two full days at Muscat and Khasab, Oman, and Abu Dhabi, UAE.

In the Med, Costa neoRomantica will feature new 11-night cruises in Greece and Turkey that include calls at Athens, Smyrna and Crete. Costa Pacifica sails seven-night cruises in the western Mediterranean, with a new call at Leghorn (Livorno), Italy, in addition to calls at Savona, Italy; Marseilles, France; Barcelona, Spain; Palma de Mallorca, and Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy.

New tropical winter itineraries include two seven-night cruises on Costa Mediterranea departing from Guadeloupe that include calls at St. Barts, St. Maarten, Dominica, Tortola, Martinique, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua and Catalina Island. These cruises can be combined into one 14-night voyage, allowing for an extended Caribbean vacation. Costa Fascinosa heads back to the southern hemisphere with new six- and eight-night cruises in South America that include northern Brazil and Argentina.

Encouraged by the positive response to its Asia cruises, Costa Cruises, the largest Italian travel group and Europe’s no.1 cruise company, plans to position a second cruise ship in the region in May 2013. The Costa Atlantica will join Costa Victoria, offering cruises departing from Singapore, Shanghai, Tianjin and Hong Kong.

The double positioning of Costa Atlantica and Costa Victoria will further expand the number of Costa’s Italian Style inspired cruises, with a 90 per cent increase in the offering.

“Since 2006 when Costa Cruises started to market its cruise product in Asia, we have further strengthened and tailored our product to our local clients’ needs and wishes,” said Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman and CEO of Costa Crociere S.p.A. “The successful results we have obtained until now are encouraging our Company to further expand in the region. Costa Atlantica and Costa Victoria will bring a piece of ‘Italy at sea’ to Asia as Costa has successfully done in all other countries, throughout its 64 years of history.”

From May to June 2013 Costa Atlantica will depart from Singapore on seven-day cruises to Malaysia and Thailand, and on three- or four-night cruises to Malaysia. The three itineraries also can be booked together as a 14-night itinerary, including Kuantan (Malaysia), Laem Chabang/Bangkok (Thailand), Koh Samui (Thailand), Langkawi (Malaysia), Penang (Malaysia), Port Klang (Malaysia), Malacca (Malaysia). From June through October 2013, Costa Atlantica will depart from Shanghai on short cruises to South Korea and Japan, calling at Cheju (South Korea), Pusan (South Korea), Fukuoka (Japan), Hososhima (Japan), Kagoshima (Japan).