HONG KONG – Costa Cruises, has begun its fifth consecutive season in the Arabian Gulf. From the end of November 2010 through March 2011 the Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa – the top of the range of the Costa fleet – will be offering 7-day cruises to the finest places in the region; Costa Cruises was the first operator to market regular cruises in this part of the world. Further confirmation of Costa’s spirit of innovation and its role as a roving ambassador for Italian-made excellence comes in the form of new excursions in Abu Dhabi for the new season of cruises. Motor racing enthusiasts will love the newly opened “Ferrari World”, the world’s first Ferrari theme park and the largest attraction of its kind. Ferrari’s key principles of stylish elegance, design excellence and technological innovation underpin every aspect of the park. The park offers Ferrari-inspired rides and attractions for visitors of all ages. Highlights include “Formula Rossa”, the fastest roller coaster on the planet, a journey into the heart of a V12 engine, a virtual tour of the historic Maranello factory and the interactive Paddock exhibit. A second new addition to the program of shoreside excursions in Abu Dhabi is a visit to the world’s most cutting-edge Formula 1 circuit, Yas Marina. F1 fans will also be able to experience thrills and spills at 350 km/h while on board thanks to the Grand Prix driving simulators from the “Costa racing stable” on both the Costa Luminosa and Costa Deliziosa: this is not a video game, far from it – produced from an original GP car, it is the result of advanced real-time vehicle modeling and reproduces ultra-realistic sensations replicating the handling of an automobile on the world’s best racing circuits. Costa’s itinerary in the Emirates starts with 2 nights in Dubai continues with one-day calls at Muscat (Oman), Al Fujairah (United Arab Emirates), Abu Dhabi (UAE), Bahrain and ends with an additional overnight stay back in Dubai. The Costa Luminosa will be departing from Dubai on Mondays from November 29, 2010 through March 14, 2011; meanwhile, the Costa Deliziosa, which was actually inaugurated in Dubai on February 23, 2010, will offer Sunday sailings from December 19, 2010 through March 27, 2011. The deployment of two ships will consolidate Costa Cruises’ market leadership in the region. In the 2010/11 winter season Costa expects approximately 150,000 passenger movements in Dubai (+7% compared to the previous year) with a total of 31 port calls, while there will be 30 calls at Abu Dhabi with a total of 75,000 transit passengers (+15% compared to 2009-2010).