Costa Cruises sponsors Italian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, offers Expo shore excursions

Costa Cruises has become a Gold Sponsor of the Italian Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai, and will be introducing Expo shore excursions so that Dubai cruise tourists can easily visit the World Exhibition.

Costa Cruises’ sponsorship of the Italian Pavilion at the Expo 2020 Dubai is a reflection of the company’s position as a leading Italian brand, and its long-running relationship with Dubai (Costa was the first cruise line ever to homeport in the city).

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The agreement was signed in Civitavecchia, on board the cruise line’s flagship Costa Smeralda, by Mario Zanetti, President of Costa Cruises, and Paolo Glisenti, the Commissioner for Italy at Expo Dubai 2020.

The UAE Ambassador in Italy, Omar Obaid Alshamsi, was also present for the signing.

Zanetti described the sponsorship agreement as another step in the gradual restart of Costa Cruises and the recovery of the wider tourism industry. He said it was the ideal platform for Costa Cruises to present the wonders of Italy to an international audience.

“Our ships bring the beauty of Italy to the world and we are delighted to be Italian ambassadors in Dubai and mark such an important moment of renaissance with so many other brands representing the best of Italy,” said Zanetti.

“Expo will be a meeting place for discussions on crucial issues for the future, such as the development of sustainable and inclusive tourism, on which our company intends to lead as an example for the entire sector,” he added.

Sustainability is a core value of the Italy Pavilion at Expo Dubai, which will open its doors on October 1st, 2021.

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In line with the goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda, Costa Cruises became the first cruise line in the world to introduce new technologies to reduce the environmental impact of its fleet, such as LNG-powered ships.

Costa Smeralda runs on liquefied natural gas, a fossil fuel that produces the least amount of emissions compared to any others, she was initially scheduled to homeport in Dubai for the coming cruise season, before being replaced with another ship.

The company is also starting to test batteries and fuel cells to reach the goal of “zero emissions” cruises overtime.

The environmental aspect is integrated into a broader plan of sustainability, which aims to promote tourism’s models that are increasingly inclusive and attentive to the needs of local areas and communities.

To allow its Italian and international guests to experience the Expo and visit the Italy Pavilion during the coming Dubai cruise season from December 17th, 2021 until mid-March, 2022, Costa will deploy its ship Costa Firenze in the Arabian Gulf.

Costa Firenze will homeport in Dubai, replacing Costa Pacifica, and sailing roundtrip on 7-night cruises that visit Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Khasab and Oman. Specific shore excursions visiting the Italy Pavilion and the Expo will be made available for guests, according to Costa Cruises.