Costa Cruises opens its sixth consecutive season in the Emirates with the inaugural call in Dubai of the flagship Costa Favolosa.

The arrival of the vessel at the port was celebrated with a welcoming ceremony attended by Awah Al Ketbi, chief executive of AL Ketbi Consultancy, the company which runs the Costa representative office in Dubai, Captain Mauro Muratore and government officials and VIP guests from Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, tourism and maritime sectors.

Costa Favolosa - 114,500 gross tonnage and 3,800 total guests - is the largest and most advanced ship ever deployed in the Emirates, a world-first cruise destination offered by Costa in 2006.

From today until April 6th 2012, Costa Favolosa will be sailing on seven-night cruises in the exotic seas of the Arabian Gulf, with two days in Dubai, one-day stopovers in Muscat (Oman), Fujairah (UAE), Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Khasab (Oman) and ending with a further overnight stay in Dubai.

The Jewels of the Emirates cruise has an itinerary reminiscent of A Thousand and One Nights, offering a tantalizing mix of past and future, unspoiled oases and stunning futuristic architecture, dune surfing, mosques and skyscrapers.

This year’s route features the additional port call of Khasab (Oman), which boasts towering cliffs and deep blue waters.

Thanks to the positioning of Costa Favolosa, Costa will make 58 port calls in the United Arab Emirates in winter 2011/2012 and expects to clock up approximately 233,000 passenger movements.