Costa Luminosa on Sunday resumed cruise services for the Italian cruise line Costa Cruises out of Trieste, the second ship to do so in 2021, with two more due to resume cruises for the summer.

Costa resumed cruises out of Italy last year, but was forced to suspend those itineraries due to second waves of COVID-19 across Europe, before resuming cruises again in 2021.

Costa Luminosa in port in Trieste

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Costa Luminosa joins the line’s flagship Costa Smeralda, which resumed cruises on May 1st, 2021 from Savona with an itinerary exclusively dedicated to Italy.

Costa Deliziosa is due to resume cruises on July 26th, with week-long cruises in Greece, while Costa’s new Vista-class cruise ship Costa Firenze will resume cruises on July 4th, sailing one-week cruises in Italy.

From July 3rd, Costa Smeralda will begin sailing international itineraries, with one-week cruises from Italy to France and Spain.

Costa Luminosa is the first of the line’s ships to resume cruises to the Adriatic Sea and Greece, sailing from Trieste and visiting Bari, Corfu, Athens, Mykonos and Katakolon/Olympia.

Costa Luminosa will sail 27 cruises from Trieste throughout the coming summer season and for part of the autumn, until mid-November, 2021.

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“With the restart of the Costa Luminosa, we are finally bringing cruises back to the Adriatic Sea and Greece… and reviving a sector of great importance to the economy of many European countries,” said Mario Zanetti, President, Costa Cruises.

“Just to illustrate the importance of this restart, before the pause caused by the pandemic, our company generated an annual economic impact of almost €13 billion in Europe, creating over 63,000 jobs,” he added.

“We are particularly pleased to be resuming from Trieste, a city that has always welcomed us warmly, and which will be the home port of Costa Luminosa not only this year, but also in 2022.”

Health and safety procedures aboard Costa Luminosa, and other ships resuming cruises, have been enhanced through the adoption of the Costa Safety Protocol, developed by the company together with scientific experts and Italian authorities.

The measures include a reduction in the number of guests; swab tests for all guests before embarkation and mid-way through the cruise; swab tests for the crew before embarkation and regularly during their contract; and temperature checks daily, as well as every time guests disembark and re-enter the ship, or enter the restaurants.

Port calls have also seen enhanced safety measures, with visits to destinations allowed only with protected excursions; social distancing on board and in the terminals; enhanced sanitation and medical services; and the use of protective masks when necessary.