AROYA Cruises recruits football legend Cristiano Ronaldo for first media campaign

The Saudi Arabian cruise line start-up AROYA Cruises has released its first major media advertising campaign, starring Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez, as it looks to expand internationally.

The campaign debuted April 10th on the couple’s instagram channels and marks the cruise line’s first big push to expand its brand presence in the Arab world and internationally.

Backed by Saudi Arabia’s PIF sovereign wealth fund, AROYA Cruises is the first cruise line in Saudi Arabia and the wider Arab world, and the first internationally to specifically target the local Middle East cruise market.

The short film shows Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez at home planning a vacation, with Rodríguez selecting AROYA Cruises on her phone. 

The scene then transitions to a CGI-rendered cruise experience, transforming their home environment into elements of the ship, including branded features and ocean views. 

It concludes with the couple stepping onto a balcony and saying “Yalla,” the brand’s tagline, which means “let’s go” in Arabic.

AROYA Cruises began operations in December 2023 and has already established itself as a popular vacation experience for the Saudi market, sailing roundtrip Red Sea cruises out of Jeddah, with plans to add more ships to the fleet and expand to the Mediterranean and Arabian Gulf in the near future.

The partnership with Ronaldo, who is extremely popular across the Arab world and Europe, is a strategic move by AROYA to appeal to two distinct markets as it prepares to expand into the Mediterranean later this year.

“As the first Arabian cruise line, we pride ourselves on innovation and distinction,” said Turky Kari, Executive Director of Marketing at AROYA Cruises. “Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez align with our brand vision and working with the couple has been an immensely exciting step in our journey.” 

“AROYA Cruises will begin sailing around the Mediterranean in June and we look forward to welcoming guests from Saudi, Europe and beyond to experience Arabian authenticity at sea,” he added.

Ronaldo in a statement said that AROYA Cruises is representative of the Arabian lifestyle, which he enjoys. 

“Georgina and I are happy to feature in this campaign together and can’t wait to take our family on a cruise. We enjoy the Saudi lifestyle, and Aroya Cruises is intrinsically Arabian, from its design to its cuisine. Yalla Aroya Cruises!” he said.

Rodríguez said: “Working on this campaign was a lot of fun and we loved bringing Aroya Cruises to life in our home. As a mom, I love the kids offering onboard and I am sure families will have the best time on Aroya.”