Saudi Arabia, a country that is opening up to the outside world, and also to the influx of foreign tourists, signs an agreement with the MSC shipping group to become a cruise port. Public company Cruise Saudi and MSC Cruises, the largest privately held cruise line in the world, have announced the launch of Red Sea cruises for the upcoming 2021/22 winter season.
Fawaz Farooqui, Managing Director of Cruise Saudi, and Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, met in the Saudi capital Riyadh to sign the collaboration agreement. The MSC Magnifica ship will have Jeddah as its homeport, one of the largest in Saudi Arabia, whose historic center has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a commercial nerve center and is now the second largest port in the Middle East.
The ship will host seven-day cruises in the Red Sea in the period between November 2021 and March 2022, touching various ports and destinations within the region, including three Saudi ports, and will make weekly calls at the port of Al-Wajh from which it will be possible to disembark to visit the town of Al-Ula, a site also recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Kingdom prepares to host the Formula 1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2021 on December 5 in Jeddah, and guests of Msc Magnifica will have the opportunity to follow this sporting event during their journey aboard the ship.
The MSC Magnifica itineraries in the Red Sea will be joined by those of Msc Virtuosa, the company’s flagship whose program for the 2021 winter season in the Arabian Gulf (or Persian Gulf if you prefer) will include stops in the port of Dammam, with the possibility of visiting the oasis of Al-Hasa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
MSC Virtuosa will make weekly stopovers at this new destination from December 2021 to March 2022.
Thus Pierfrancesco Vago: “I had the opportunity to know firsthand the richness of the local heritage, being impressed by Saudi Arabia’s ability to make its traditions and culture available to the world while always managing to preserve them. I am proud that Msc Cruises can help open up this territory to international visitors by making it a premier cruise destination and I am delighted that tourists from all over the world will be able to discover the incredible wonders this country has to offer, including the pristine beauty of its coastline and sites. historical “.
Cruise Saudi and MSC Cruises plan to host approximately 170,000 passengers on board the MSC Magnifica and MSC Virtuosa ships during the upcoming 2021/2022 winter season, who will have the opportunity to explore the historical, cultural and natural treasures of Saudi Arabia. Even Saudi residents will be able to choose to spend their holidays in their country to discover its wonders and enjoy the comfort that only a cruise ship is able to offer.
International guests will be able to reach Jeddah via direct air links from the most important European and international cities served by Saudia, the flag carrier of the Kingdom. Thanks to a partnership dedicated to the benefit of cruise guests, the flights will be modified to adapt to the departure and arrival times of the ships, in order to ensure a convenient organization of connections.