Super cruise ship departs Jeddah for Jordan

RIYADH: A super cruise ship has departed Saudi Arabia for the first time, seting sail for regional waters late on Friday.

The MSC Bellissima, a vessel longer than three football fields, departed for the first in a series of voyages from Jeddah Islamic Port to Aqaba in Jordan and Safaga in Egypt.

The launch of the service comes two days ater Saudi Arabia opened its first cruise ship terminal at the port in Jeddah, on the west coast.

“The inauguration of the first cruise ship port represents an important step to support the growth of the tourism sector in the kingdom,” Cruise Saudi managing director Fawaz Farooqi said, quoted by Saudi Press Agency.

Constructed in France, the MSC Bellissima is 315 metres long and has a capacity of 4,500 passengers, making it one of the world’s largest cruise ships.

First launched in 2019 and operated by Swissbased MSC Cruises, it will embark on 21 trips up until Oct.30.

The mammoth vessel has an array of amenities, including swimming pools, gyms, restaurants, cafes and ballrooms.

The price of journeys start at 2,195 Saudi riyals (about $585), according to travel agencies, with some itineraries including Luxor in Egypt and Petra in Jordan.

Cruise Saudi, owned by the nation’s Public Investment Fund, also struck a deal in April with MSC Cruises to launch winter voyages between November 2021 and March 2022.

These cruises will start out from Jeddah and Dammam on the eastern Gulf coast of Saudi Arabia in the hope of atracting 170,000 guests.

The global cruise industry has taken a severe hit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far resulted in the death of more than four million people worldwide.

Saudi Arabia is accelerating a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive as it moves to revive tourism and host sports and entertainment events.

On Thursday, Saudi Arabia announced that it will open its doors to fully-inoculated visitors.

MSC Bellissima’s crew stayed in quarantine for 14 days before the trip on Friday, according to Saudi state television.

Developing the tourism and leisure sector is one of the foundations of Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s “Vision 2030” plan to prepare the Arab world’s largest economy for the post-oil era.

Mohammed has introduced sweeping economic and social changes, including allowing women to drive, the reopening of cinemas, and allowing mixed-gender music concerts and other entertainment options.

The country enacted a landmark decision in 2019 to offer tourist visas.