Cruise Saudi, the wholly-owned subsidiary of PIF, has chosen the Vienna-based leisure services platform, COLUMBIA blue as the ship manager for its new premium cruise line, AROYA Cruises.
Cruise Saudi will leverage services from COLUMBIA blue along with its operational brands COLUMBIA cruise services for the technical operations and COLUMBIA signature for hospitality services.
COLUMBIA blue specializes in the full management of cruise and expedition passenger vessels and provides services to some of the most renowned brands in the world.
For AROYA Cruises, COLUMBIA blue will oversee the hotel management including housekeeping, guest relations, food & beverage, crew management and deck & engine management.
Lars Clasen CEO – Cruise Saudi
“COLUMBIA blue is a leader in the ship management industry and an instrumental organization for AROYA Cruises to work with. This strategic partnership is crucial in ensuring that AROYA Cruises passengers have the best possible experience on board.”
The CEO of COLUMBIA blue, Mr. Norman Schmiedl, commented that “We are extremely proud to be helping AROYA Cruises deliver a remarkably Arabian experience to their guests. We are deploying all of our 40 years of experience in cruise ship management to deliver safe, efficient and sustainable standards to AROYA Cruises.”
Announced in June 2023, AROYA Cruises is Cruise Saudi’s owned, premium cruise line. Designed for Saudi nationals, expatriates and regional guests, AROYA Cruises will be tailored specifically to the interests of the Arabian market.
The creation of AROYA Cruises supports Cruise Saudi’s overall goals of creating 50,000 job opportunities in Saudi Arabia, and welcoming 1.3 million cruise passengers annually, by 2035.
