Cruise Saudi chief honoured as 'Best CEO'

Cruise Saudi’s Lars Clasen was awarded ‘Best Travel & Tourism Infrastructure Development Company CEO’ at the MEA Middle East CEO of the Year Awards 2023 in Dubai.

The winners, who were chosen by a panel of five industry experts, make up an illustrious list of high-performing CEOs in the Middle East.

The award recognises the commitment, expertise and innovation displayed by nominees through a rigorous evaluation process.

Lars Clasen, CEO of Cruise Saudi, said: “I would like to thank everybody at Cruise Saudi whose tireless efforts have led to this recognition.

“This award is not just a testament to our achievements to date, but a reflection of our team's collective dedication to turning Saudi into a world-leading cruise destination. I look forward to building on our successes of 2023 throughout the new year ahead.”

Cruise Saudi achieved major milestones in 2023, including the launch and unveiling of the first Saudi cruise line, AROYA Cruises, the opening of King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam, the first point of access for cruise lines visiting Saudi Arabia from the Arabian Gulf, and the attraction of new cruise lines including TUI, Ponant and Fred Olsen, welcoming passengers from over 120 nationalities to discover Saudi Arabia.

By 2035, Cruise Saudi aims to attract 1.3 million tourists to visit Saudi by sea, an ambitious goal in line with the wider targets of Vision 2030.

The company’s commitment to developing new state-of-the-art ports will be integral to tourism growth, with ambitions to have 10 ports operational by 2030.

This, combined with Cruise Saudi’s commitment to diversify its Shorex offering, will ensure visitors and cruise lines have many opportunities to explore new and undiscovered parts of Saudi. – TradeArabia News Service