RIYADH: Public Investment Fund-owned Cruise Saudi has surpassed its 2023 goal, the managing director said during the Arabian Travel Market event being held at Dubai World Trade Centre.
Most of the cruise passengers were European and the company is expecting more this year, Fawaz Farooqui said.
“Around 50 percent of passengers who went on cruises were aged 35 or younger,” said Farooqui, adding that “it all depends on the market.”
The maritime operator intends to be one of the top ten cruises in the world, he said.
Its destinations include Yanbu, Dammam, Jeddah and the King Abdullah Economic City. It also plans to add a cruise port in Duba and Jizan in the south.
Farooqui added that by 2030, Cruise Saudi aims to have around 1.3 million passengers.
The Arabian Travel Market, the Middle East’s largest travel and tourism exhibition, is a four-day event that addresses the concerns and hopes of the industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.