AQABA — The
Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) said on Friday that it will launch a line of cruise ships for the
first time between the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah, Aqaba, and
Egypt within
two weeks.
اضافة اعلان
The company, which works in the
field of cruise ships, told local media that the first tourist trips between
Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt will also be launched on July 23, under the
name of the Red Sea Tourist Tours. MSC, a Switzerland-based company, is
collaborating with Cruise Saudi to conduct the tours and boost Saudi’s image as
a site for cruises.
The company indicated that cruise
ship trips between Jordan and Saudi Arabia will have a capacity of more than
3,000 tourists, at a rate of 3 to 4 trips per month.
The company expects that the second
trips from the new line will take place on the 8th of next August.
Voyagers, after starting in the
historical port city of Jeddah, will then visit Al Wajh and see the UNESCO
World Heritage Site at Al Ula. After stopping in Aqaba, they’ll swing up to see
the ancient city of Petra. Then, tourists will stop in the coastal town of
Safaga in Egypt before visiting Luxor and Yanbu.
Additionally, Commissioner for
Tourism and Economic Affairs at the
Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) Sharhabeel Madi told
Jordan News that a scheduled tourists line will
transport guests from the Gulf countries to visit the Golden Triangle of Aqaba,
Wadi Rum, and Petra.
Madi said that promoting this triangle
“will have a significant and beneficial economic impact on the Kingdom.”
Historically, the Gulf has been an important source of tourist revenues for
Jordan, though this has slowed due to the pandemic.
The commissioner expressed
hope that the cruise ships will promote foreign spending in Jordan and give the
economy a much-needed boost.
In a press release, MSC reported
that they are committing to vaccinating all of their crew members, though they
do not require passengers to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Chairman of Aqaba Hotels Association
and owner of the Days Inn hotel in Aqaba Salah Al Bitar told
Jordan News that,
“We hope that this new marine tourism line between Saudi Arabia and Jordan will
enhance the tourism sector in Jordan and contribute to attracting more tourists
to the city of Aqaba in particular and Jordan in general, for the benefit of
the hotel sector, which has been negatively affected during the past two years
due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
Read more
National
.jpg)
.jpg)
