1 million cruise ship passengers are expected to visit Saudi Arabia by 2028 according to the ambitious plan set out by the country’s Cruise Saudi company.
The managing director of the company, Fawaz Farooqui, set out the goal during the session at the Future Investment Initiative Forum in Riyadh (Dammam, Saudi Arabia).
Farooqui also claimed that ~50,000 direct/indirect jobs will be created by the cruise industry by 2035.
The director pledged that 5 cruise ports are expected to operate in Saudi Arabia by 2025.
Fawaz Farooqui’s comments came days after Cruise Saudi became the newest member of the World Travel & Tourism Council. The Kingdom continues the drive to diversify its economy away from oil as per "Vision 2030" agenda.