It is the largest ship in her fleet
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The largest ship in its fleet, the Celestyal Journey, was presented on Wednesday by the Celestyal Cruises company, in the port of Limassol, which is included in the itineraries that started last September and which, apart from January and February, are scheduled to continue until June 2024 .
In his video greeting, the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kostas Koumis, congratulated the company on the acquisition of the new state-of-the-art cruise ship, “which makes it worthy of the EU fleet and an important investment”.
The company's financial footprint, especially in the local economy of our country, is particularly noticeable, as the company's cruise ships continue to enrich the tourist product and services, even in months of low demand, thus contributing to the lengthening of the tourist season, he added.
Indicating that the cruise sector is important for our country, the Deputy Minister stated that Cyprus, with its unique geographical position and cultural wealth, can become an excellent tourist destination for every cruise ship.
“I am convinced that Celestyal Journey will further strengthen the sector which, according to the latest data, shows amazing growth prospects at global levels” he said and congratulated Celestyal Cruises for supporting the economy of our country, its contribution to the development of the sector and of tourist flows on the island.
For his part, the Director General of the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, Stelios Chimonas, stated that the cruise sector is among the priorities of the Deputy Ministry, which “supports every initiative that contributes to the strengthening of the sector and at the same time to the development of our tourist areas and cities”. .
The cooperation with the cruise industry and the promotion of tourism through cruises, he continued, contributes significantly to the economy and has a positive effect on employment and the promotion of Cyprus as a tourist destination.
Mr. Heimonas congratulated Louis Group's Executive Chairman, Kostakis Loizou, and the company's CEO, Chris Theofilidis, for their “excellent choice to include the port of Limassol in the cruise's itinerary”.
In addition, the Mayor of Limassol, Nikos Nikolaidis, thanked the company for its trust in Limassol, recalling that another cruise ship of the company, the Celestyal Olympia, was using the port of Limassol as a base in 2021.
“Limassol is slowly developing into a cruise hub and this year more than 200 cruise ship arrivals with more than 300 thousand passengers are expected,” said Mr. Nicolaidis, assuring that “the Municipality of Limassol will do everything possible so that the passengers coming to our city, even for a short stay, to have the best possible experience and to leave with a city in mind that is worth visiting”.
Details about the company's new ship were given by the company's CEO, Chris Theofilidis, according to which the ship underwent renovations and upgrades worth 26 million euros, while it is equipped with systems that reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 85%.
“Our goal was to acquire a medium-sized ship, which we believe fits the destinations we visit,” he said, adding that the new ship upgrades the level of services offered.
< p>The Celestyal Journey has 630 cabins, seven restaurants and eight bars, a deck dedicated to the well-being of the body and spirit, two swimming pools, conference rooms, an auditorium, a casino and other entertainment areas, and can accommodate 1260 people.
After its first “Idyllic Aegean” cruises in September, Celestyal Journey continues in October with the “Footsteps of the Apostle Paul” cruise, with visits to Athens, Thessaloniki, Kavala, Istanbul, Dikeli, Kusadasi and Patmos, while he will then set sail for the seven-night “Three Continents” cruise, with visits to Greece, Egypt, Cyprus and Turkey.
