Dubai: The Italian cruise line Costa Cruises strengthening its position in Dubai with the arrival of its newest flagship “Costa Toscana.”
Toscana made its first stop at Dubai Harbour, a magnificent seaside neighbourhood created for a marine lifestyle, set against the district’s distinctive backdrop, iconic vista, and accessible location. An event was held on board the ship to mark this first call, and both local and Italian authorities were present.
The Costa Toscana will provide 3, 4, or 7-day trips to explore the Arabian Gulf during the winter of 2022–2023. 13 voyages in total, from 17 December 2022 to 11 March 2023, will be offered with the “flight+cruise” package, which ensures optimum comfort.
As part of a maritime tradition, the ship captain will exchange plaques with stakeholders from the public and private sectors to commemorate the arrival of the ship at Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal. More than 300,000 passengers are anticipated to arrive at the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal over the course of the season, indicating the industry’s recovery from the epidemic.
Mr. Abdulla Binhabtoor, Chief Portfolio Management Officer, Shamal Holding, remarked that, “We are delighted to welcome our second LNG powered cruise ship for the season with the arrival of Costa Toscana. Dubai is a city where cruise ships play a crucial role in boosting the overall tourism strategy. Cruises provide distinct choices to experience the city from a unique perspective. We believe these shorter itineraries from Costa will offer tourists and residents a chance to experience maritime lifestyle, set against our extraordinary backdrop designed to offer something for everyone and anyone who loves to be on, near, in or by the sea. Across Dubai Harbour and our wider stakeholders and partners we are committed to playing our part to support achieving Dubai’s tourism strategy to become one of the most visited cities in the world.”
“Last year, we had a great season home-porting at Dubai Harbour with Costa Firenze. We are elated to be back this time with our new flagship of the fleet, Costa Toscana, our most technological and sustainable ship to date. We will offer to our Guests many different itineraries options including 3, 4 or 7 days itineraries options to experience our product and to discover the Arabian Gulf,” Mr. Francesco Raffa, Director of Asia Region, Growth Markets and North America Costa Cruises, commented.
“We are grateful for the support we continue to receive each year from Dubai Harbour’s extraordinary location, facilities and employees. It’s great to see that we both seek to offer innovative lifestyle and hospitality experiences with our itineraries, tailor-made for all types of traveller preferences from the region, and with the hospitality and state of the art of the services at the terminal,” Mr. Raffa further added.