The Cruise Division of the MSC Group announced the opening of its first office in Saudi Arabia in November 2023.

The Jeddah office will accommodate the commercial, sales and marketing departments for both MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys.

The announcement was made by Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman of the Cruise Division of the MSC Group Pierfrancesco Vago during the World Tourism Day conference in the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh.

 “MSC has had a presence in the Kingdom since 1996 and our shipping business here has grown exponentially and been an important contributor to the local economy,” said Vago.

“We are very pleased that on the leisure side of things cruising is growing in popularity in Saudi Arabia and as such is playing an increasingly important role for us.  We are seeing more of the Kingdom’s citizens and residents attracted to the great proposition that cruising offers and as such it is important for us to have a physical presence within the country. We are very much looking forward to opening the doors of our new office that will be dedicated to selling MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys for our local customers.”

MSC Cruises will begin its third season of Red Sea sailings from Jeddah this November, with a new itinerary for the MSC Orchestra.  The ship will sail in the region for six months, offering 20 separate seven-night sailings to Aqaba in Jordan to visit Petra, Sharm El-Sheikh, Sokhna Port for Cairo and Safaga for Luxor.