Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s cruise tourism ambitions are not limited to expanding its cruise ship fleet and adding new ports – it’s even having a private island on the Red Sea to make things happen.
The island – ‘Jabal-Al Sabaya’, unveiled last month - is being developed exclusively for cruise passengers in partnership with PC Marine Services.
“The completely natural island is roughly 220 miles north of Jeddah,” said Lars Clasen, CEO of Cruise Saudi, which is a PIF subsidiary.
“It will have a small jetty. The ship will be at anchor outside, and then there will be a welcome centre, a dining area, cabanas, beach sunbeds, etc. It is exclusively for the Aroya cruise passengers (for now), for them to get out and relax.”
Cruise lines can stop at the island for a day trip, where visitors can make the most of the facilities or book one of the many land and sea excursions. The CEO did not reveal how much will be spent developing the destination.
In June 2023, Cruise Saudi launched Aroya Cruises, a 335-metre floating resort with 1,678 cabins.
“We acquired a very young, secondhand ship, originally deployed in China,” said Clasen. “We spent $355 million on the ship, and we are also spending a lot on refurbishing for it to be fit for the Arabian market,”
Aroya Cruises, Saudi Arabia’s first cruise liner, will set sail on its maiden voyage this December, signaling a key milestone for the Kingdom’s growing maritime tourism ambitions.
Saudi Arabia is also building 10 ports to help it attract 1.3 million cruise passengers by 2035.
Second cruise ship
A second cruise ship is also in the pipeline. However, the company plans to build one this time instead of buying a secondhand vessel.
Port development, destination experiences
That said, Cruise Saudi’s ambitions do not end there. The country, which currently has three operational ports, would like to expand to 10 by 2030, said Clasen.
“We have three ports operational, Jeddah and Yanbu, both on the Red Sea coast and the Gulf Coast. We also have Dammam.
“We are also developing one in Al Wajh, north of Jeddah, a gateway to AlUla. We have a few more in the pipeline, but these are the two most concrete (projects) right now.”
The port developments aim to get the inbound cruise lines to experience Saudi Arabia’s natural offerings. “No cruise ship is coming for a terminal,” said Clasen. “The cruise ship is coming because the guests want to experience the destination. So, we’re also curating and organising the shore excursions behind it, and we’ve been quite successful in attracting tourists.”
Cruise line for the Arabian market
According to Clasen, successful cruise-liners tailor the product to meet the needs and likings of a well-defined target market. “These usually belong to a certain geography or nation. We are creating a product for the Arabian market, which does not exist now.”
Clasen said that Saudi Cruise’s target audience is cruise passengers in countries on the Arabian Peninsula, Jordan, and Egypt.
Dubai as a cruise destination
On whether Cruise Saudi would eventually add Dubai as a destination for Aroya, Clasen said, “We will at some stage. We are not exclusively operating ships in the Red Sea as cruise ships move around.
“We start in the Red Sea out of Jeddah because this is where we see good potential for the market. But at one stage, we will also have itineraries in the Gulf, including Dubai. It has the potential for GCC-wide tours. This is clearly on our roadmap.”
