The AROYA cruise ship arrived at Aqaba Port on Friday from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, carrying around 3,400 tourists, most of them Saudi nationals, as well as approximately 1,200 crew members.
The visit comes as part of the growing cruise-ship activity contributing to tourism and economic activity in Aqaba.
The ship arrived at the cruise terminal at 8 a.m. and is scheduled to depart at 9 p.m. the same day. Its tourism program includes visits to several sites in Aqaba, Petra and Wadi Rum.
The area opposite the City Services Building has been designated for transporting tourists to and from downtown Aqaba. Nine shuttle buses have been allocated for transportation, while eight tourist buses will travel to Petra and two to Wadi Rum. The buses are scheduled to return in the evening, in addition to 10 buses designated for tours of Aqaba’s main attractions.
Thabet Al-Nabulsi, Tourism and Youth Commissioner at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, stressed the importance of receiving cruise ships in strengthening Aqaba’s position as a major maritime tourism destination.
He said the arrival of AROYA is part of efforts to boost tourism activity and attract more visitors arriving through cruise trips.
Al-Nabulsi explained that cruise-ship activity has a positive impact on various sectors linked to tourism by increasing visitor numbers and stimulating commercial and service activity. He affirmed the authority’s continued support for maritime tourism and efforts to attract more cruise ships and tourist voyages to Aqaba.
The arrival of AROYA comes amid growing cruise-ship traffic to Aqaba, strengthening the city’s role as a maritime tourism destination and supporting economic activity across tourism-related sectors.
