Cruise Saudi will join global travel professionals to consider the future of the travel and tourism industry and create business opportunities during the four-day showcase.  This year’s Arabian Travel Market (ATM), held at Dubai’s World Trade Centre, has seen a 27% YOY rise from 2022 in exhibitor participation making it the largest professional tourism event in the region.

Speaking ahead of ATM, Cruise Saudi’s CEO, Lars Clasen said: “Arabian Travel Market is the leading international travel and tourism trade event in the GCC. 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’s objective is to contribute to Saudi’s tourism industry growth through attracting 1.3 million cruise passenger visits by 2035, in line with Vision 2030’s plan to increase total GDP from the tourism sector to 10%.  Clasen confirmed that he was excited to showcase Cruise Saudi’s rapid growth and how it supports Saudi’s position as a prominent new tourism destination.

“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,” Clasen continued.

Since the company’s launch in 2021, Cruise Saudi has completed two successful cruising seasons and is more than halfway through its third season, opening areas of Saudi previously untouched by international tourism.

Clasen outlined Cruise Saudi’s expansion plans adding: “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.”