Cruise Saudi, owned by the Public Investment Fund, has announced a key appointment as the Gulf kingdom aims to make its mark on the global cruise tourism industry.
The company, which is building a new cruise terminal at King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam as part of plans to diversify the Saudi economy away from oil, said it has appointed Lars Clasen as CEO.
Clasen is a global industry expert with more than 30 years of experience in the shipping and cruise industries across Asia, Europe and North America.
Fawaz Farooqui, managing director of Cruise Saudi said: “We are excited to announce that Lars Clasen has been appointed the new CEO… Clasen brings three decades of experience in the global cruising industry, and we look forward to having him as a key member of the team.”
Clasen added: “I’ve been following the tremendous progress Cruise Saudi has made in such a short span of time; from setting up an entirely new industry and welcoming guests on cruise ships for the first time in Saudi Arabia, to garnering a great deal of attention globally as the newest player in the cruise industry.
“I am honoured to be joining a diligent team of professionals and look forward to achieving more milestones together as Cruise Saudi embarks upon a new phase of development in opening not just one gateway, but several new gateways connecting the world to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
Prior to joining Cruise Saudi, Clasen held several key roles across leading cruise companies, a statement said.
Under plans revealed last November, Cruise Saudi’s new terminal will feature four berths as part of an agreement with the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) and Globe Group.
Mawani has worked to empower the kingdom’s tourism sector by supporting cruises along the coastline of the Arabian Gulf and the Red Sea, in line with the kingdom’s National Transport and Logistics Strategy. Under the Vision 2030 plan, the kingdom aims for tourism to contribute 10 percent to gross domestic product in the next nine years.
Earlier last year, Mawani and Cruise Saudi announced the opening of the first cruise terminal at Jeddah Islamic Port, from which the MSC Bellissima set sail on its maiden voyage on July 30.
Cruise Saudi’s ports along the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf aim to provide domestic and foreign tourists a glimpse at the kingdom’s coastal destinations. The company is looking to create 50,000 jobs in the cruise industry in Saudi Arabia by 2035.
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