Tuscany seeks 30m euros for Costa Concordia disaster after 'tourism damage'

Tuscany is demanding €30m (£24m) in compensation for the Costa Concordia disaster in 2012.

Officials for Italy's Tuscany region and the island of Giglio are seeking damages amounting to €220m (£175m) from Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp.

Tuscany claims its image as a tourist heaven of sandy beaches, hilltop towns and cultural heritage has been badly damaged by the disaster, reports the Telegraph.

The 950ft-long cruise liner capsized on rocks off the island of Giglio in January 2012. The cruise liner remained partially submerged near the port of the popular holiday island for more than two years after the disaster that killed 32 people.

"We will ask Costa for €30min damages to Tuscany's image," the region's president, Enrico Rossi, told a court in the Tuscan city of Grosseto, the Guardian reports.

"To reconstruct the image of Tuscany as a top tourist destination will require years of work, substantial investments and costly national and international advertising campaigns," Rossi said.

According to Reuters, Rossi said the region had registered a decline in tourism, and that Giglio had lost 45,000 visitors due to the disaster.

Carlo Scarpa, a consultant to Giglio's local government also asked the court for €190m in damages, most of it for tarnishing the island's image

Mr Scarpa said the island had been negatively associated with the disaster in tens of thousands of news reports in countries around the world.

Concordio's captain, Francesco Schettino is on trial for multiple charges, including manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship.

Carlo Scarpa and Enrico Rossi both testified at Schettino's trial.

"We have always behaved with generosity and a collaborative spirit during this whole business. Today we are here in Grosseto to ask for fair compensation," Mr Rossi added.

A lawyer for Costa Cruises said the compensation claim was wildly exaggerated and without justification.

"I don't think there has been damage to the image (of Tuscany)," said Marco De Luca. "Frankly it seems rather unrealistic."

What do you think? Should they be granted compensation? Let us know in the comments below.

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