Costa concordia refloated off giglio coast

The wreck has become a macabre tourist attraction Photo: ARPA Toscana

The cruise liner, which is twice as big as the Titanic, struck a reef in 2012 and capsized, resulting in the death of 32 people. Last year, it was hauled upright onto an underwater platform. Now, more than two years later, the ship has been refloated using the device so that it can be towed to the port of Genoa for scrapping. 

One local shopkeeper told the Guardian that residents were looking forward to "waving farewell to the rusting hulk blighting our once-pristine shoreline".

While many speculated on the Costa Concordia's impact on the cruise liner industry, though, others have found a macabre boost to the tourism industry as a result. Indeed, the ship has become a unusual spectacle for tourists, who hope to see the giant wreck and take photos.

“It’s been a short-term shot in the arm (for the local economy),” Hunter Business Chamber CEO Doug Parrish told The Australian. “I suspect most businesses would be worried about the impact if it’s removed."

The impact upon tourism during the lengthy removal procedure, meanwhile, has also caused some concern, with the summer months of June and July a crucial time for the island's econony,