The navigation group MSC Cruises is aiming for a new destination: Saudi Arabia. The Cruise Division of the MSC Group has signed a five-year agreement with Cruise Saudi for preferential docking rights in the port of Jeddah. The announcement was made in Jeddah when one of the Company’s most modern ships, MSC Bellissima, celebrated the opening of the city’s new passenger terminal with a special ceremony on board the ship.
The new cruise terminal will welcome guests on board for MSC Bellissima’s highly anticipated inaugural season in the Red Sea, offering 3- and 4-night cruises to Egypt and Jordan, departing from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, until the end of October.
The event on board MSC Bellissima saw the protagonists Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises and Fawaz Farooqui, CEO of Cruise Saudi, in front of the highest local personalities, the senior officials of the Saudi Tourism Authority, Cruise Saudi, the Saudi Ports Authority – Mawani, Saudi media reporters and travel industry representatives.
The ship’s commander, Roberto Leotta, exchanged the crest with Fawaz Farooqui during the traditional ceremony that is organized on board every time a ship arrives in a port for the first time.
“This is a historic day for all of us” underlined Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises. “The largest and most innovative cruise ship operating in the Red Sea has sailed from the new terminal in Jeddah marking a new beginning for cruises in Saudi Arabia and, more generally, for its growing tourism industry. “Now our guests from all over the world will be able to experience the unique itineraries in this fantastic country, rich in historical UNESCO World Heritage sites and surrounded by pristine coastlines. Thanks to this new agreement, we will work in unison with Cruise Saudi to grow and develop sustainable tourism in Saudi Arabia, in line with our strategy and objectives. We will work together to attract guests from all corners of the world and from the markets. locals offering them a special holiday aboard our ships in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf like no other “.