Costa Cruises, the Italian brand of Costa Group, Europe’s leading cruise company, has been named Official Cruise Line of the 2023 Ryder Cup, which is being held at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome.
As an Official Supporter of the Ryder Cup, Costa Cruises will benefit from a range of marketing opportunities including social media content and access to the Ryder Cup’s hospitality services.
As part of the partnership, Costa Cruises is also unveiling a new offer designed specifically for golf enthusiasts and their families. The new Cruise & Golf formula will allow customers to combine unique golf experiences with the relaxation and fun of a Costa cruise on board Costa Smeralda, the company’s most innovative ship.
By booking a Cruise & Golf, golf enthusiasts will have the opportunity to play at some of the most beautiful clubs in Italy, France and Spain during the cruise itineraries’ port calls. This includes Marco Simone, the host venues of the 2023 Ryder Cup. The offer will be available from May 2022 on the Costa Smeralda on one-week Western Mediterranean cruises. To take advantage of the new offer, guests simply need to book a cruise and then add one of the two golf packages to their booking, which include three or four green fees.
Speaking about the new partnership, Roberto Alberti, SVP and Chief Commercial Officer of Costa Cruises, said: “Our holidays are aimed at providing unique and enriching experiences, and the combination with golf fits perfectly with this philosophy. To achieve our goal of becoming the reference company in the world of golf, we have come up with a special initiative, never seen before.
“Our partnership with the Ryder Cup 2023, one of the most popular sporting events in the world, will allow us to reach all golf enthusiasts, while with our new Cruise & Golf formula we will offer them and their families a holiday that combines the best of golf with the best of cruising. Cruise & Golf will also help to promote the golf clubs of the countries visited and, more generally, represents an opportunity to foster local tourism, considering that six out of 10 passengers declare they want to return to the places visited during the cruise.”
Guy Kinnings, Ryder Cup Director and Deputy CEO of the European Tour group, commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Costa Cruises to the Ryder Cup partnership family, in what is a truly unique partnership. The Ryder Cup is a full entertainment spectacle, so it felt like a natural fit to work with Costa Cruises to build out a fully rounded experience for their customers as the Ryder Cup heads to Italy for the first time.”