The Department of Tourism and Commercial Marketing of Dubai (DTKM) held a "welcome" ceremony at the cruise terminal of the Dubai port in connection with the arrival of two cruise ships Costa Favalosa and AIDAblu.
Costa Favalosa and AIDAblu cruise liners, now Dubai's home port, will offer all cruise lovers weekly trips within the region. Information about this was announced during a ceremony attended by: Khalid bin Sulayem, Director General of DTCM, senior officials of the Dubai Ports and Customs Administration, General Directorate for Naturalization and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) and the DP World conglomerate.
The Costa Favalosa cruise ship is owned by the Italian ocean cruise operator Costa Crociere. It was launched on July 2, 2011 in the Italian port city of Trieste. The ship's displacement is 114,500 tons, it can carry 3800 passengers and 1110 crew members at a time. The AIDAblu cruise ship, owned by the German operator Aida Cruises, has a displacement of 69,203 tons and is capable of carrying 2050 passengers and 607 crew members simultaneously.
Both ships will carry out weekly cruises in the Persian Gulf. Costa Favalosa is expected to make a total of 19 cruises with 100 thousand passengers, AIDAblu - 13 cruises with 50 thousand passengers during the 2011-2012 season.
It should be noted that by the end of this year, the number of cruise liners calling at the Dubai port will reach 135 with a total number of tourists of 375 thousand. In 2012, according to DTCM expectations, 150 airliners with 425 thousand passengers will enter Dubai.
