Saudi Arabia welcomes largest cruise ship amid tourism push

The visit is a significant milestone in the country’s goal of attracting 100 million local and international visits annually by 2030, said Jay New, CEO of King Abdullah Port.

The vessel, which is longer than three football fields, made its maiden call at the port as tourists disembarked for sightseeing in King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), which has been included in MSC Cruises’ Saudi Arabia and Red Sea cruise itinerary for two years in a row.

New said: “The docking of MSC Bellissima at King Abdullah Port represents a significant accomplishment in our efforts to develop a port that is capable of meeting the wide-ranging maritime transportation and logistics needs of Saudi Arabia.

“KAEC’s growing reputation as a thriving destination for urban living, tourism and industries will drive our quest to continue building up and upgrading our infrastructure and facilities.

“We are proud to play a key role in the kingdom’s drive to boost the travel and tourism sector in line with Vision 2030 diversification goals.”

MSC Bellissima’s seven-night winter season cruise sailing out of its homeport of Jeddah began on November 6. In addition to KAEC, where guests have the opportunity to visit the holy city of Madinah or enjoy a day at Pure Beach or Yam Beach, the ship will also call at Yanbu in western Saudi Arabia and Aqaba in Jordan.

The voyages will depart the port of Jeddah every Saturday night and King Abdullah Port will continue to welcome the cruise ship once a week throughout November and December this year.

Owned by the Ports Development Company, King Abdullah Port is the region’s first port to be owned, developed, and operated by the private sector.

Occupying an area of 17.4 sq km, once fully completed, King Abdullah Port will be capable of handling 25 million TEU, 1.5 million CEU and 25 million tons of clean bulk cargo annually.