The key points
- The anniversary
- History
- The celebrations
The Costa Smeralda blows out 60 candles. And it accompanies this appointment with a series of initiatives (after the launch in May) that bring together shows and art, culture and entertainment. The birth of a “myth”, with the constitution, on March 14, 1962, of the Costa Smeralda Consortium by Prince Karim Aga Khan, as underlined by the current president Renzo Persico: “Sixty years ago a myth was born: that of the Costa Smeralda. Prince Aga Khan’s dream became reality, charm and attractiveness, which still last today thanks to the combination of nature and the art of hospitality ».
A coastal extension of 55 kilometers, territories distributed over a non-homogeneous area of approximately 3,114 hectares, of which 96.3 per cent of green area, which affects the municipalities of Arzachena and Olbia, the Costa Smeralda is not a toponym but the name that brings together and defines only the territories of the properties associated with the Consortium in an area of Gallura delimited by a symbolic boundary consisting of two granite rocks, which bear the name Costa Smeralda: one to the south, on the panoramic road that comes from Olbia , after Portisco, the other to the north, immediately after Liscia di Vacca, on the road to Baja Sardinia.
“At the time of its foundation, the Costa Smeralda was like a private club, an exclusive community, which was populated by involving the entire entourage of the prince and many exponents of the international jet-set – adds Persico -. Today it is a tourist destination which, thanks to those who have been able to preserve and improve over the years, adapting it to social, demographic, technological and environmental changes, has managed to be a competitive reference hand in hand with the evolution of the needs of luxury tourism “. In the sixty years of activity, the initiatives for the improvement of infrastructures but also other investments for the Consortium area. And, in 2019, the signing of an agreement with the business management school of the Bocconi University of Milan for the preparation of the sustainability report.
“The Costa Smeralda destination in these sixty years has changed by adapting to modern levels of offer and competitiveness, but in its sustainable development it has always maintained a constant and significant link with nature and the environment – comments Mario Ferraro, Vice President of the Costa Consortium Smeralda -. Each of our projects aims and will aim to preserve this territory over time and to create value. In the last five years we have focused on destination development projects, implemented strategies for diversifying the tourist offer, improving services for Consortium members and tourists with the aim of making the destination more usable and positioning the Costa Smeralda at a higher level and make it even more prestigious, and today we can say that our destination is stronger than ever ».
As for the events, the calendar of celebrations started at the end of May with the Costa Smeralda Prize, from July to September concerts, book presentations, talk shows and popular festivals are expected. The presence of Amii Stewart, Aka7 and Myss Keta is scheduled.