Costa Deliziosa Inaugurated in Dubai
The inauguration ceremony for the Costa Deliziosa, the new diamond of the Costa Cruises fleet, has taken place in Dubai, making her 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 Nights”, 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 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.
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 passengers in Dubai in winter 2010/11.
“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.”
The extraordinary inaugural ceremony for the Costa Deliziosa took place during her Grand Maiden Cruise, which left from Savona on February 5. Over 3,000 guests witnessed the event, including about 2,200 Costa Guests traveling on the first sector of the maiden cruise.
The event was 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 included traditional dance and music, video about the history of the UAE. One of the highlights was a performance of Al-Ayala, which 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 a high representative of the DTCM, by Costa Crociere S.p.A. Chairman & CEO Pier Luigi Foschi and Paolo Dionisi, Ambassador of Italy in the United Arab Emirates.
In keeping with tradition, the ceremony climaxed is the arrival of the godmother, before cutting the ribbon and letting the bottle break against the bows of the ship. The Godmother of Costa Deliziosa is Mrs. Tala Dionisi, wife of the Ambassador of Italy in the United Arab Emirates. The thread of the whole show was “A Thousand And One Horse Tales’”, a superb exhibition of horses accompanied by live music in a special blend of entertainment from the most renowned Arab tradition. The event continued with an Arab style lunch prepared by the chef Osama, who is a household name throughout the Middle East. The ceremony was 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.