Costa Crociere will be operating 12 Mediterranean cruises departing from and returning to Malta in 2004, local agents S. Mifsud & Sons said.

These 15-day cruises will visit Ibiza, Palma, Ajaccio, Civitavecchia, Catania, Patmos, Bodrum and Marmaris (Turkey) and Santorini, with the first sailing scheduled for May 12.

The cruises will be on the 36,000 tonne Costa Tropicale, which has a capacity of 1,411 passengers and provides a host of entertainment facilities including three swimming pools, three open air jacuzzis, a 150-metre jogging track, fitness centre, three restaurants, theatre, ballroom and casino.

The cruise itinerary is programmed in a way that shorter cruises with dis/embarkation at Catania/Civitavecchia can be booked and it is anticipated that these cruises will create a strong demand on the local market, SMS said. Costa Crociere is the number one cruise company in Italy and Europe and in 2002 the company generated a sales turnover of over €733 million.

A couple of weeks ago Costa Crociere launched another super cruise liner, the Costa Fortuna.

Costa has the most advanced fleet on the continent consisting of 10 ships, with another one, the Costa Magica, under construction.

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