United Kingdom
United States
Asia Pacific
Costa to sail from Dubai
Costa Cruises is to become the first international cruise operator to offer cruises from Dubai.
Weekly sailings start in December and run throughout next winter on 1,680-passenger Costa Classica and AIDAcara from German arm AIDA.
The seven-day itineraries include two nights in Dubai and stopovers in the ports of Muscat (Oman), Fujairah (United Arab Emirates), Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and Bahrain.
Costa Classica will depart on Saturdays with AIDAcara leaving on Fridays.
The two ships will run a total of 25 cruises, 17 on the Costa Classica, from December 23 to April 14, 2007, and eight on AIDAcara, from December 22 to February 9, 2007.
Costa chairman and CEO Pier Luigi Foschi, said: “The local authorities in Dubai have been involved in an important development programme aimed at making the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Gulf a major travel destination for European tourists.
“I believe that the arrival in Dubai of an international operator like Costa can make a significant contribution towards achieving this objective. The importance of the cruise industry locally is confirmed by the substantial investments made in the last few years for the construction of a new cruise terminal and related port infrastructure.
“We hope that in the future Dubai will become a regular destination for our cruises.”
The port of Dubai handled 13 calls by cruise ships last year, with 8,500 passenger movements.
Report by Phil Davies
Phil Davies
Tony from Gatto’s Pizza on Columbus’s Unique Pizza Trail
Sophia Hyder Hock on Global Social Inclusion in Tourism
Sustainable Tourism: Don Welsh on Community Values and Global Collaboration
Jane Cunningham: Enhancing European Engagement in Tourism
Kristin Dunne: Navigating Destination Strategy
Revolutionizing Mobile Connectivity: Boris Bijlstra on HUBBY eSIM
Capturing Glasgow’s Vibrancy: An Interview with Susan Deighan, Chief Executive of Glasgow Life
Lebua Hotel & Resorts: Rajan Khurana on Hospitality and Bangkok’s Charms
Sustainable Tourism and Growth: Insights from Chiravadee Khunsub from Tourism Authority of Thailand
Revolutionizing Travel: SmartSIM USA’s Dale Takio Unveils the Power of E Sims
TravelMole Interview with Hishan Singhawansa, Deputy CEO of Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, Sri Lanka
Unveiling the Essence of Magari Tours: A Dive into Authentic Italian Experiences
EU airports bring back 100ml liquid rule
British Airways passengers endure 11-hour 'flight to nowhere'
CLIA: Anti-cruise demos could cause itinerary changes in Europe
Co-pilot faints, easyJet flight issues ‘red alert’
Gatwick braces for strike