Discover what is driving this growth. Download this post PDF. In the wake of Vision and Saudi Arabia's significant economic diversification endeavors, large investments have been poured into marine infrastructure and projects generally, and cruise industry specifically. While attention is often drawn to Saudi investments in areas like sports, smart cities, and entertainment, the ambitious cruise industry initiatives remain relatively obscure. In the cruise market, the Arab region has often been overlooked and underestimated.
However, recent developments, especially in Saudi Arabia, are driving a significant transformation as the country takes monumental steps to build the industry from the ground up. This article examines Saudi Arabia's initiatives in the cruise sector, alongside the large investments in marine infrastructure under Vision The aim is to highlight the emerging opportunities for international players looking to engage with this growing market and illuminate the dynamic evolution of Saudi Arabia's cruise industry and its broader implications for global players in the value chain.
Setting sail: Navigating the currents of Saudi Arabia's emerging cruise industry. Aligned with Saudi Arabia's Vision and its push for economic diversification, the tourism industry is set to play an important role in this plan.
That represents a notable increase from its current 4. Another goal as stated in Vision is for Saudi Arabia to welcome million visitors annually by [1]. However, by the end of , this ambitious target was recalibrated to million, driven by the impressive achievement of surpassing the initial goal seven years ahead of schedule.
In alone, the kingdom recorded over million visitors according to the Saudi Ministry of Tourism, a record-breaking figure [3]. However, a closer look reveals an interesting detail: 79 million of these visitors were Saudis, nearly reaching the national target of 80 million domestic visitors by This trend aligns with the government's strategy to reduce outbound tourism and keep spending within the domestic economy.
