MSC Cruises to start Red Sea summer schedule from end of July

Geneva-headquartered MSC Cruises has announced that one of its ships, the MSC Bellissima (below), will sail from Jeddah for 21 Red Sea cruises, starting from the end of July until late October.

The vessel, which came into service in 2019, will offer three to four night cruises to Safaga for Luxor, Aqaba for Petra, Jordan, before returning to the Saudi home port in Jeddah.

MSC Cruises Executive Chairman Piefrancesco Vago said in a press statement: “As the tourism industry of Saudi Arabia grows progressively for its own residents and international visitors, we are looking forward to making a positive and lasting contribution as more people explore and discover the rich heritage and incredible cultural attraction it has to offer.”

The ship is equipped with a 975-seat main theater, an aquapark, a bowling alley, an F1 simulator, a kids club, a cinema and a shopping gallery with more than 200 brands.

MSC Cruises told Arab News in May that it expects half the passengers on its new Jeddah-based cruises to come from Saudi Arabia with the remainder from around the world as it prepares to become the first operator to homeport in Jeddah.

The Public Investment Fund launched Cruise Saudi in January of this year to develop a cruise industry in the Kingdom and help create more than 50,000 jobs in the tourism industry through 2035. It will develop ports and terminals in several Saudi cities to provide access to Saudi heritage and culture, including three of the five UNESCO World Heritage sites located near the coast.