Costa Deliziosa, the new diamond of the Costa Cruises fleet, inaugurated in Dubai today at an extraordinary event
- Costa Deliziosa, the new diamond of the Costa Cruises fleet, is the first cruise ship ever to be inaugurated in an Arab city
- A unique event staged in collaboration with the DTCM (Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing) and emphasizing the dialogue between Italian and Arab culture
An emblem of Italian-made excellence worldwide like her sister ship Costa Luminosa, the Costa Deliziosa is the cruise line’s top of the range offer, operating on regular Arabian Gulf cruises in the winter months with forecasts of 150,000 passenger movements in winter 2010/2011.
Today sees the staging in Dubai of the inauguration ceremony for the Costa Deliziosa, the new diamond of the Costa Cruises fleet and the first cruise ship ever to be named in an Arab city: a unique and quite extraordinary event which sets a new record and combines traditional Arabian enchantment, reminiscent of “A Thousand and One Nightsâ€, with the unmistakable Italian style of Costa Cruises, the largest Italian travel group and Europe’s n.1 cruise line.
Together with her sister ship Costa Luminosa, the Costa Deliziosa (www.costadeliziosa.com) represents the most exclusive and innovative member of the fleet; weighing in at 92,600 gross tonnage and with total Guest capacity of 2,826, the new ship is an emblem of Italian-made excellence. She was built at Fincantieri’s Venice-Marghera yard in Italy with the labor of around 3,000 people, comprising both the shipyard’s own employees and those of about 500 contracted suppliers, most of which are Italian firms, with a total investment worth 450 million euros. During winter 2009/10 and 2010/11 the Costa Deliziosa and Costa Luminosa – Costa’s top of the range offer – will be offering 7-day cruises in the Arabian Gulf with departure from Dubai and stopovers in Muscat (Oman), Fujairah, Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and Bahrain.
The inauguration of the Costa Deliziosa, which constitutes another milestone in the development of the cruise industry not only in Dubai but also in the region as a whole, is the result of an a partnership between Costa Cruises, the first operator in the world to market regular cruises in the Gulf back in 2006, and the Government of Dubai, through the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing: this solid co-operation has contributed to the development of local tourism and will allow Italy’s no. 1 cruise line to clock up 150,000 passenger movements in Dubai in winter 2010/11 (compared to 44,000 in 2006/2007) with 31 port calls, generating revenue for the local economy estimated at 14 million euros* in 2009/2010.
“The decision to hold the inaugural event – the highlight of any ship’s early life – for the Costa Deliziosa in Dubai has dual significance,†commented Costa Crociere S.p.A. Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi. “On the one hand it is testimony to our active engagement in the region, where we have more than tripled our passenger traffic in just 5 years, and on the other it expresses Costa Cruises’ pioneering spirit, which combines continuous innovation and ongoing promotion of Italian tradition, for which we are global ambassadors, thanks to our ships and our style. It means constant commitment, entailing major investments in renewal of the fleet and the continuous pursuit of ways of improving our product. It is this commitment that enabled us in 2009 – a year characterized by marked falls in consumption in virtually all areas – to carry about 1.3 million Guests on board our ships, an increase of 8% compared to the year before, in line with the increase in our capacity.â€
Built in Italy by Fincantieri, the Costa Deliziosa is the third ship delivered to the Italian Company in just 9 months, and is part of a 2.4 billion euro fleet expansion program with 5 new ships entering service between 2009 and 2012. The Costa Luminosa and Costa Pacifica – named together on June 5, 2009 at a Guinness World Record event – and the Costa Deliziosa will be followed by the sister ships Costa Favolosa, due for delivery in summer 2011, and Costa Fascinosa, which will make her debut in spring 2012. All 5 ships are Italian builds commissioned from Fincantieri and their introduction will lead to a 50% increase in capacity for the Costa fleet, Europe’s largest, which by 2012 will be 16-strong with accommodation for 45,000 total Guests.
Mr. Hamad bin Mejren, DTCM Excecutive Director Business Tourism, said: “We welcome Costa’s decision to operate out of Dubai and also perform the naming ceremony of Costa Deliziosa here on the opening day of our new cruise terminal. We hope that it will be a shot in the arm for the regional cruise industry. Costa’s decision reconfirms the potential of Dubai as the regional cruise industry hub. We are delighted with their decision and assure of our whole hearted cooperation and support to make the initiative successful. We are confident that this will help expand the cruise tourism industry in the region and simulate other cruise operators to use the emirate as a cruise hub. At the DTCM we look forward to a period of tremendous growth in high-yielding cruise tourism segment.â€
The inauguration event
The extraordinary inaugural ceremony for the Costa Deliziosa is taking place during her Grand Maiden Cruise, which left from Savona on February 5. Over 3,000 guests are expected to witness the event, including about 2200 Costa Guests traveling on the first sector of the maiden cruise.
The inauguration ceremony, designed and produced by the DTCM together with Costa Cruises, features a grand inauguration event, involving not only the ship but also the new cruise terminal at Port Rashid and part of the quay where a stage and grandstand were set up specially to celebrate the Costa Deliziosa.
The event is set to be both spectacular and memorable, stressing the links between Italian and Arab culture. The artistic journey into the history and culture of Dubai and the Emirates includes traditional dance and music, video about the history of the UAE. One of the highlights is a performance of Al-Ayala, that welcomes the Guests of the ceremony: dancers in costume holding sticks that are used to enhance the stylish movements. The Arab journey entwines the one dedicated to Italian culture, music and art, to Costa’s history and role as a roving ambassador taking “the very best of Italian-made excellence†around the world. An air show with parachute jumps will introduce the official speeches by an high representative of the DTCM, by Costa Crociere S.p.A. Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi, followed by Corrado Antonini, Chairman of Fincantieri and Paolo Dionisi, Italian Ambassador in the United Arab Emirates.
In keeping with tradition, the ceremony climax is the arrival of the godmother, before cutting the ribbon and letting the bottle break against the bows of the ship. The thread of the whole show is “A Thousand And One Horse Tales’â€, a superb exhibition of horses accompanied by live music in a special blend of entertainment from the most renowned Arab tradition.
The event continues with an Arab style lunch prepared by the chef Osama, who is a household name throughout the Middle East. The ceremony is presented by an original duo of personalities, both very well known in this part of the world: Mona Ibellini, a very popular TV presenter and broadcaster on programs on the BBC Worldwide and Al Jazeera English, who was born and raised in London but has spent virtually all her professional career in the Middle East; and Marwan ‘DJ Bliss’ Parham, a talented young music producer and entertainer from Dubai, who is currently hosting his own lifestyle show “Emarati†on national television and who is fast establishing a name for himself internationally.
The naming ceremony of the Costa Deliziosa in Dubai is broadcasted live on www.costadeliziosa.com. Costa Cruises’ fans can share their emotions and report on the event through the social channels of the company (facebook, blog, twitter, youtube).
The inaugural event for the Costa Deliziosa is taking place in Dubai under the patronage of the Italian Embassy to the United Arab Emirates, the Consulate General of Italy in Dubai and the ICE (Istituto Italiano per il Commercio Estero, or Italian Institute of Foreign Trade). It is being staged in partnership with Alpha Tours, Dnata, Emirates, Grand Hyatt, Gulf Venture, Jumeirah, Maserati and RHS (Raiss Hassan Saadi Group).
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