Costa Crociere wins Leonardo Prize

Costa Crociere S.p.A. the largest Italian travel group and Europe’s number 1 cruise company has been awarded the “2010 Leonardo Prize for Italian Quality”. The awards which have been assigned signed 1993 are considered the Oscars for Italian entrepreneurs who have made great contributions promoting and enhancing the country’s image.

The Leonardo Committee commended the Italian groups “vocation for innovation and excellence applied to corporate management processes, product quality, and originality in environmental protection”.

In the last ten years Costa Crociere group has had spectacular growth, quintupling both the number of its total guests that rose to an astonishing 2.15 million in 2010 alone.

During the prize-giving ceremony, that was held this morning at the Palazzo del Quirinale, the President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano presented the Prize for Italian Quality to Pier Luigi Foschi, Chairman and CEO of the Group headquartered in Genoa. He made the following speech: “On behalf of Costa Crociere I am extremely delighted to accept this award, which reflects and rewards the commitment of companies like ours that are global ambassadors for Italian style and entrepreneurial culture, and whose hallmarks are passion, innovation and quality. These values are part of our Company’s DNA and they are aspects that we concentrate on so as to achieve our objectives. Year after year our efforts have been rewarded, consolidating the success and leadership of the Costa cruise, which has become synonymous worldwide with an Italian welcome, service excellence and hospitality. In a few months’ time, in July, the Costa Favolosa – a new Costa fleet member, built entirely in Italy – will enter service, bearing witness once again to our country’s know-how and expertise.”

Costa Cruises’ long-established international success as a roving ambassador for Italian-made excellence is the result of a corporate philosophy based on continuous innovation and the pursuit of the highest quality standards in the Company’s product and services.