Dubai: Saudi Arabia is betting on a new private island in the Red Sea, an expanded Aroya Cruises fleet, and building ten operational ports to reach its goal of attracting 1.3 million cruise passengers by 2035.
According to its CEO, Lars Clasen, Cruise Saudi - a business fully owned by the Public Investment Fund - is focusing on destination experiences and developing its own cruise liner to achieve these goals. “We have two business units – destination experiences and cruise liners,” said Clasen.
On the destination experiences front, Cruise Saudi unveiled a private island on the Red Sea earlier this month. The private island being developed for all Saudi-bound cruise passengers in partnership with PC Marine Services, said Clasen.
And Aroya, cruise ship of Aroya Cruises, will be the first to visit the island during its inaugural journey in December. Aroya Cruises, officially launched in June 2023, as a separate business unit of Cruise Saudi.
A private island
“The completely natural island is roughly 220 miles north of Jeddah,” said Clasen. “It will have a small jetty. The cruise ship will be at anchor outside, and then there will be a welcome centre, a dining area, cabanas, beach sunbeds, etc. It is for cruise passengers 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.
Aroya - a remarkably Arabian experience
A roya is a 335-metre floating resort with 1,678 cabins. “We acquired a very young, secondhand cruise 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,” he added.
Aroya, 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. It is a 335-metre floating resort with 1,678 cabins.
Saudi Arabia is also building 10 ports to help it attract 1.3 million cruise passengers by 2035. 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
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 liners are coming for a terminal,” said Clasen. “The cruise liners are 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 that will offer a remarkably Arabian experience, which does not exist now.”
Clasen said that Saudi Cruise’s current 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.”
