Cruise Saudi aims to contribute to the Kingdom’s tourism industry growth through attracting 1.3 million cruise passenger visits by 2035 LONDON: Cruise Saudi will join global travel professionals at the Arabian Travel Market 2023, which begins on Monday at Dubai World Trade Centre. The 30th edition of the show will feature more than 2,000 exhibitors and representatives from over 150 countries from the travel, tourist, and hospitality industries. Cruise Saudi’s CEO Lars Clasen said: “Arabian Travel Market is the leading international travel and tourism trade event in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council). “Cruise Saudi is confident in unlocking further business potential throughout our participation and we look forward to being present alongside leading industry stakeholders and peers.” Cruise Saudi aims to contribute to the Kingdom’s tourism industry growth through attracting 1.3 million cruise passenger visits by 2035, in line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 plan to increase total gross domestic product from the tourism sector to 10 percent. Clasen said he was excited to showcase Cruise Saudi’s rapid growth and how it supports the Kingdom’s position as a prominent new tourism destination. He added: “Saudi offers superior connectivity to the rest of the world — approximately 250 million people in Europe, Asia, and Africa live within a three-hour flight from the Red Sea or Arabian Gulf. “Cruise Saudi has been spearheading the development of a fully integrated, world-class cruise industry in the country.” Cruise Saudi has completed two successful cruising seasons since the company’s launch in 2021 and is more than halfway through its third, opening areas of the country previously untouched by international tourism. Clasen said: “With the support of the government and our partners, we have been able to develop three ports — Jeddah Islamic Port, Yanbu Commercial Port on the Red Sea, and King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam — with the necessary cruising infrastructure to welcome international cruise ships and passengers to experience the stunning Red Sea and Arabian Gulf coastlines. “Moving forward, our goal is to welcome more cruise lines to visit and homeport in Saudi, along with increasing the number of international and local tourists. We will also be focusing on developing more ports and working with our destination partners to curate a range of exciting and immersive shore excursions.”