Ports & destinations
Saudi Arabia has a rich history, on and offshore, for tourists to explore, including the Mada'in Saleh (Hegra) ancient site in Al Ula.
In other words, though foreign media has lately been abuzz with the liberalisation of Saudi society, from women drivers to monster truck races, life aboard the Bellissima will still take traditional attitudes into account. “In respect of local customs, alcohol won’t be served during our ship’s calls in Saudi Arabian ports,” says Staiano, though he adds that they’ll be allowed once the ship enters international waters. This makes sense if you know the ship’s likely passengers. MSC has always insisted that it doesn’t want the Bellissima to become a foreign ghetto, instead hoping that half her guests will be Saudis themselves. As Ebelthite suggests, that immediately limits what the operator can offer, with conservative Muslims unlikely to be comfortable with too much dancing and boozing. In a similar vein, the operator will need to educate
Western guests about what’s acceptable once they go ashore. Even in the relatively liberal enclave of Dubai, after all, foreign guests have sometimes fallen foul of the drinking laws. All this speaks to a broader problem with marketing Saudi Arabia as a cruising hotspot: its reputation. Gentler visa rules aside, its fundamentalist leanings remain. After all, this is a country whose ruler is suspected of ordering the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and where 15 of the 9/11 hijackers were born. That may be less of a problem with European cruisers, who Ebelthite argues are “less politicised” than their North American counterparts. But attracting lucrative American travellers, he suggests, could be the “largest hurdle” to MSC’s success in the country – though he adds that a cruise is still the best way to experience Saudi Arabia while still enjoying a ‘Western’ holiday.
"Drive and ambition" Though the Bellissima is the first big cruise vessel to dock at Jeddah, it’s unlikely to be the last. MSC has many more Red Sea itineraries planned throughout the 2021-2 season, while Silversea Cruises plans to dock at
54
the Jeddah Islamic Port too. At the same time, Ebelthite wonders whether cruises could be a good way for intrepid visitors to sip at the pool of Saudi culture – before returning for a longer drink later. Given how much the rugged interior of the country has to offer, from wild animals like leopards and oryx, to mountains 12,000ft high, he surely has a point, especially given cruises have already helped stimulate tourism across the other Gulf monarchies. Staiano is similarly ebullient, noting that MSC soon plans to integrate the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia into its cruising network too. From this winter, the MSC Virtuosa will start calling at the Saudi port of Dammam, just north of Bahrain and within touching distance of the UAE. “The Middle East has, as we also have at MSC Cruises, real drive and ambition,” he says. “We’re very optimistic about further developments in the Red Sea and the Gulf as we look to retain our number one position in the region and see our share increase.” Might we even see a time when cruise ships sail round the whole peninsula, linking Jeddah in the west to more established ports in the east? Ebelthite certainly hopes so, adding that Jeddah’s midway location between the Mediterranean and the Gulf could bring some “much-needed diversity” to grand cruises east of Suez.
All the same, the Middle East often has a way of crumbling even the best plans to dust. Mohammed bin Salman may be desperate to turn his kingdom into the next Dubai, but a second Khashoggi-style assassination could yet render him an international pariah. Then there’s the question of Saudi Arabia’s neighbours. Sailing from the Red Sea to the Persian Gulf sounds wonderful in theory. But if Iranian drones in the region continue to disrupt international shipping, operators may be reluctant to take the risk, especially if Covid-19 rears its sickly head once more. To put it another way, the future for Red Sea cruises seems buoyant, even if its bride has to wait a little longer to find her match. ●
World Cruise Industry Review /
www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com
Hyserb/
Shutterstock.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61
