Cruise Saudi, the parent company of AROYA Cruises, Saudi Arabia’s and the Arab world’s first-ever domestic cruise line, has been granted a license to operate by the Saudi Red Sea Authority.
The maritime tourism agent license is the first ever issued by Saudi Red Sea Authority, which operates all maritime transport operations on the Kingdom’s west coast, reflecting the fact that Saudi Arabia is a fast-growing newcomer to the cruise sector.
The Kingdom only opened its ports to cruise ships in 2021, but has already established itself as a popular port call destination for cruise ships homeporting in the Arabian Gulf out of Dubai, as well as ships passing through the Red Sea on World Cruises and grand voyages.
Jeddah has also become an important homeport for MSC Cruises during the annual winter cruise season in the Middle East, and now the Kingdom has developed its own homegrown cruise brand, AROYA Cruises.
The issuance of a maritime tourism agent license for cruise ships to Cruise Saudi marks a significant milestone in the development of Saudi Arabia’s coastal tourism sector, as licensing will help regulate coastal tourism activities, and encourage investment in the coastal tourism sector.
The maritime tourism agent’s role includes providing services for watercraft – such as yachts and cruise ships – to practise safe and sustainable navigational tourism activities at sea.
SRSA will ensure that in the Kingdom’s waters, licensed maritime tourism agents facilitate the movement of watercraft and ensure adherence to best sustainable standards and practices.
The maritime tourism agent license was handed to Barbara Buczek, chief destination experiences officer at Cruise Saudi by Mohammed Bukhari, VP of coastal tourism operations at SRSA, at Cruise Saudi’s headquarters in Jeddah.
AROYA has purchased the former World Dream and sent her to Europe for a technical refit and bow-to-stern refurbishment. The 335-metre vessel will be able to accommodate 3,362 passengers across 18 decks, in 1,678 cabins.
The cruise line will sail its first passenger voyage on December 16th, a 3-night roundtrip itinerary from Jeddah to a private island in the Sarrayn chain off the coast of Makkah, around 100 nautical miles south of Jeddah.
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