Photo by: Abdul Basit/ The Peninsula
Italian cruise ship Costa Toscana, the company’s latest flagship, called at Doha Port for the first time yesterday.
The cruise ship stayed in the country for a day. Costa Toscana’s current cruise is seven days, round-trip Dubai and UAE from Abu Dhabi. Its itinerary started on January 12.
Until January 19, it will dock at Muscat in Oman and Abu Dhabi, UAE. Its maiden tour of the Arabian Gulf offers three to seven-day cruise itineraries around the region.
Qatar Tourism Head of Tourism Product Support, Maryam Saoud, told The Peninsula on the sidelines of the event that the cruise season which started in December last year has already welcomed 8,000 passengers. She said by the end of the 2022-2023 cruise season in April, 58 cruise ships and four cruise liner maiden calls will make their way to Qatar.
“Our cruise season is off to a solid start with the latest expansion in our portfolio of cruise liners a testimony to our growth and diversification. This is also an LNG-powered cruise ship to Qatar, which highlights our commitment to sustainability in the development of the cruise sector. We look forward to welcoming thousands of visitors and delighting them with the warmth, hospitality and range of experiences Qatar has to offer.”
In a press conference yesterday at the Costa Toscana, Captain Pietro Sinisi said their first call in Doha was “truly an emotional moment”. The cruise call in the country is also the captain’s first time visiting Qatar.
Officials from Mwani Qatar, Qatar Tourism, Costa Toscana, Italian Embassy in Doha and travel agencies representatives during the press conference at the cruise ship, yesterday.
Speaking on the occasion, Italian Ambassador to Qatar, H E Paolo Toschi, said Costa Toscana’s stop in Qatar is a ‘special time’. “This ship brings back the Italian flag to Doha. The Italian flag is always welcome as our Qatari friends can testify and want to thank them for their hospitality and partnerships that we enjoy together.”
The envoy also highlighted the number of tourist attractions in the country and underlined how Italy and Qatar coordinated in terms of culture and tourism.
“The city has a lot to offer. You will be very impressed. And Italy is proud to be part of the expanded and expanding offer in terms of tourism and culture that Doha can be proud of. You have museums, many of them collaborated with Italian museums, many of them offer bridges and welcoming the Italian culture and the chance to travel with your spirit and mind looking back to all this region, and much further to our beautiful shores in Italy.”
Ambassador Toschi said Costa Toscana is a remarkable Italian-made ship. “It is a true concentrate of Italian design and technology. There’s a lot here that represents our ability to innovate, our ability to use tradition in a way that speaks to the future that is towards our vision what we want to achieve.
“I have no doubt that the combination of your culture offering in Doha and this beautiful ship can offer will be a great significance that will be truly appreciated of all the public. Costa Toscana can accommodate around 6,500 passengers and features its own waterpark, 1,550 balcony cabins, 13 swimming pools and hot tubs, 13 restaurants, and 19 entertainment lounges. One notable feature of the cruise ship is it has a new LNG propulsion engines for increasingly sustainable travelling.
