Only six days to go to the big inauguration event for Costa Deliziosa, the new jewel of the Costa Cruises fleet,  which will be held in Dubai on 23 February in a unique and innovative ceremony staged by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), together with Europe’s number one cruise line.

Costa Deliziosa, which was built in Italy by Fincantieri and delivered in Venice on 30 January 2010, set sail from Savona on 5 February on her Grand Inaugural Cruise.  This took her across the Mediterranean, Suez Canal, Red Sea and Arabian Gulf to Dubai, where she will make a stopover from 23 to 26 February.

Costa Deliziosa, the 15th Costa fleet member, will be the first cruise ship ever to be named in an Arab city.  The ceremony will further strengthen the links between Costa Cruises, the largest Italian travel group and Europe’s number one cruise line, and the DTCM.  More than 3,000 guests are expected to witness the event, including about 2,200 Costa guests travelling on the first sector of the maiden cruise.

En route to Dubai, Costa Deliziosa – a roving ambassador of Italian-made excellence – will be celebrating with two first ever calls: one on 20 February in Muscat, the splendid capital of Oman where the new cruise terminal will be inaugurated, and the other on 22 February in Abu Dhabi.  During both stopovers the ship will be met by government delegations and Italian State dignitaries who will pay a special tribute to the Italian Tricolor.

Tuesday 23 February in Dubai will see the 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 with seating for 3,000 will be set up specially to celebrate Costa Deliziosa.

The inaugural show is set to be a memorable occasion and will stress the links between Italian and Arab culture.  The first part will be an artistic journey into the history and culture of Dubai and the Emirates, with traditional dance and music.  The second part will be dedicated to Italian culture, music and art.  Khalid Ahmed Bin Sulayem, director general of the DTCM, and Pier Luigi Foschi, Costa Crociere S.p.A. chairman & CEO, will both make speech.  There will also be an exchange of greetings between local dignitaries and their counterparts from the Italian government.  In keeping with tradition, the ceremony will climax with the arrival of the godmother, who will cut the ribbon thus letting the bottle of champagne break against the bows of the ship.  The event will end with a fireworks display and a gala dinner in traditional Arab style.

The naming ceremony of Costa Deliziosa in Dubai will be broadcast live on www.costadeliziosa.com. Costa Cruises’ fans can share their thoughts and report on the event through the social channels of the company (Facebook, blog, Twitter, Youtube).

The inaugural event for 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).

This event is the result of an alliance 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 DTCM.  This solid partnership has contributed to the development of local tourism.

Following her Grand Inaugural Cruise, which will continue after the event to India and the Maldives, Costa Deliziosa will be redeployed back in Dubai in March where, like her sister ship Costa Luminosa, she will be offering seven-day Arabian Gulf cruises.

The itinerary includes two nights in Dubai and one-day stopovers in the ports of Muscat (Oman), Fujairah & Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) and Bahrain.  Costa Deliziosa will be sailing from Dubai every Sunday from 14 March to 9 May 2010; the Costa Luminosa is departing every Saturday until 10 April 2010.

Looking beyond the two jewels of the Costa fleet, Costa Europa is operating another intercontinental itinerary this winter: 18-day cruises from Savona to Dubai and Dubai to Savona – on an exclusive route crossing the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea.

In winter 2010/2011, Costa Cruises will once again be offering seven-day Gulf cruises on Costa Deliziosa and Costa Luminosa, the top of the range of Europe’s number one cruise line.

In summer this year and next, Costa Deliziosa will be deployed on cruises to the Norwegian fjords and Baltic cities.  Another highlight will be on 28 December 2011, when she sets sail from Savona on an exceptional 100-night round-the-world cruise, which can also be broken down into three stand-alone segments:  Savona-Los Angeles; Los Angeles-Singapore; Singapore-Dubai.