MSC Cruises to open first Saudi...

Cruise line to start third season of Red Sea voyages from Jeddah in Q4 2023

MSC Cruises has announced that it will open its first office in Saudi Arabia in November 2023 and launch a new itinerary from Jeddah.

The new office will be based in Jeddah and house the commercial, sales and marketing functions for both MSC Cruises and its sister company, Explora Journeys.

The 294-metre-long 16 deck MSC Orchestra can accommodate up to 2,550 passengers and will operate from Jeddah for six months, offering 20 seven-night sailings to Aqaba, Jordan facilitating visits to the ancient site of Petra, and three destinations in Egypt – Sharm El-Sheikh, Sokhna Port for Cairo and Safaga for Luxor – before returning to the Saudi port.

In 2024, Explora Journeys’ second ship Explora II will sail in the Middle East and visit Jeddah, enabling passengers to visit the coastal city as well as Al Ula and Hegra heritage sites.

MSC Group executive chairman of the Cruise Division Pierfrancesco Vago said: “We're very pleased that the leisure cruising is growing in popularity in Saudi Arabia and as such is playing an increasingly important role for us.

"We are seeing more of the Kingdom’s citizens and residents attracted to the great proposition that cruising offers and as such it's important for us to have a physical presence within the country.”

The world’s third largest cruise brand, MSC Cruises forecasts it will bring up to 200,000 tourists by sea to Saudi Arabia by the end of 2023.

MSC Cruises has a modern and environmentally advanced fleet of 22 vessels with a 23rd ship due to be delivered in 2025.

For more information, visit www.msccruisesusa.com