DUBAI - Costa Cruises is consolidating its presence in Dubai with the arrival of ‘Costa Toscana’, the company's latest flagship, which entered service only last March.

Toscana called today for the first time at Dubai Harbour, an extraordinary seafront district designed for a maritime lifestyle, set against the district’s unique backdrop, iconic vista and accessible location. On the occasion of this first call, an event was held on board the ship, attended by local and Italian authorities.

Throughout the winter of 2022/23, Costa Toscana will offer itineraries of different duration – 3, 4 or 7 days - to discover the Arabian Gulf. In total, there will be 13 cruises, from 17 December 2022 to 11 March 2023, also available with the 'flight+cruise' package, which guarantees maximum comfort, without having to worry about transfers to the ship or luggage at the arrival at the airport.

To mark the arrival, Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal Management along with public and private sector stakeholders will exchange plaques with the Ship Captain, a maritime tradition, to commemorate the ship’s arrival. Throughout the season, more than 300,000 passengers are expected to arrive at the Dubai Harbour Cruise Terminal, which reaffirms the bounce back of the cruise business after the pandemic.

Abdulla Binhabtoor, Chief Portfolio Management Officer, Shamal Holding said: “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." said Francesco Raffa, Director of Asia Region, Growth Markets and North America Costa Cruises. "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.”