On March 31st 2013, Costa Cruises will celebrate its 65th anniversary.

It will be 65 years to the day since the first departure of the Anna C which left Genoa for Buenos Aires carrying 768 passengers.

She was the first ship in the Costa fleet dedicated to passenger transport, effectively marking the beginning of Costa’s cruises.

This is a major milestone for the company and for the global cruise industry which Costa is marking with a series of special initiatives starting on March 31st 2013 and continuing throughout the year.

The 65th anniversary will be celebrated in style around the world on all 14 ships in the fleet, in the Mediterranean, Asia, the Caribbean, South America, the Emirates and Oman.

On board there will be a string of special 65th anniversary events and activities arranged for guests including cocktail parties, special shows, gala dinners, as well as commemorative postcards and souvenir photos.

Some of the ports where Costa’s ships will be calling that day, from Buenos Aires to Shanghai, will be decked out with festive anniversary decorations and celebrations will also involve all the company’s employees, its partner organisations and the local community in Genoa where Costa is headquartered.

To further mark the occasion, the company is offering past clients and new clients alike unique opportunities to go on a Costa cruise with special anniversary offers.

Costa is also running a major international advertising campaign, mainly in the press, featuring a slogan stressing the close ties that have linked the company to its clients for 65 years:  “Since 1948, always with you, better than ever.”

Other initiatives marking this important anniversary have been scheduled for the rest of 2013.