MSC Cruises reported increased passenger numbers by 40 percent for Saudi Arabia sailings in a 24-month period with 124 international nationalities visiting the country while its ships were berthed in the Kingdom.

According to a statement, the top five oversea visitor nations for cruises in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf were Italy, Germany, Spain, France and the USA.

The figures were released just in time for the “World Tourism Day” conference in Riyadh on September 27 and 28.

Pierfrancesco Vago, executive chairman, MSC Cruises, said: “We were the first major cruise company in 2021 to operate Red Sea sailings from Jeddah and we are honored to have played an important role partnering with the key government bodies to stimulate the establishment of the cruise industry in Saudi Arabia. This is thanks to the support and partnership with the Saudi Government and the country’s Tourism Minister His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb, for which we are grateful. We are committed to continuing to build on this success and bringing even more cruise passengers to discover the beauties, wonders and local hospitality that this incredible country has to offer.”

MSC Cruises is set to begin its third season of Red Sea voyages rom Jeddah with a new itinerary this coming winter.

The MSC Orchestra will operate 20 separate seven-night sailings from Jeddah to Aqaba in Jordan between November 2023 and April 2024, visiting Petra and three destinations in Egypt – Sharm El-Sheikh, Sokhna Port for Cairo and Safaga for Luxor.