Cruise Saudi makes waves with global awards nominations

These award nominations showcase Cruise Saudi as a major player on the world cruising stage.
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Updated 21 August 2023
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Cruise Saudi makes waves with global awards nominations

Cruise Saudi has been nominated in three major cruise industry awards programs. The company was shortlisted for “Middle East’s Best Cruise Destination” by the World Cruise Awards, “Destination of the Year” by the Seatrade Cruise Awards, and “Best Excursion” by the Wave Awards.
The nomination by the World Cruise Awards, held in Dubai, honors the company’s success in developing the nation’s cruise sector, enhancing ports along the Red Sea coast and Arabian Gulf, and creating shore excursion experiences that “showcase Saudi Arabia’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites and culture and hospitality,” organizers said.
The Seatrade Cruise Awards, meanwhile, is judged by leaders in the sector with a wealth of knowledge and experience. Its “Destination of the Year” award celebrates a region, tourism body or association that has made significant strides in promoting cruise tourism. This nomination recognizes how Cruise Saudi has successfully positioned itself as a crucial pillar in the Kingdom’s growing tourism industry, in line with Vision 2030.
The Wave Awards in London are decided by an expert panel of industry judges who are looking for excellence in the cruise industry. Cruise Saudi’s excursion titled “The Lives of Saudi Women” has been nominated in the “Best for Excursions” category. The tour, which is only open to female passengers, is described as offering a deeper understanding of the role of women in the Kingdom by providing an authentic glimpse into their past and present lives. This excursion takes guests through Al-Balad, Jeddah’s historic district, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and into one of the 18 historical women’s shelters in the area, which was recently transformed by Saudi entrepreneur Hadeel Alabassi, into an Arabic language school.
These award nominations showcase Cruise Saudi as a major player on the world cruising stage, with the ability to create unforgettable experiences for passengers to rival even long-established cruise tourism destinations.
Lars Clasen, CEO of Cruise Saudi, said: “We’re delighted to be nominated for awards at the World Cruise Awards, Seatrade Cruise Awards and Wave Awards. The categories we have been nominated for are especially important to us, as they recognize the hard work our team and our partners have put in to create exceptional experiences for our passengers and to make a positive contribution to the wider global cruising industry.”
Voting is now open for the World Cruise Awards and closes on Sept. 15. The winners will be announced at the 3rd annual World Cruise Awards gala ceremony, which will take place at Atlantis The Royal, Dubai on Oct. 15.
Winners of the Seatrade Cruise Awards will be announced on Sept. 6 during the Seatrade Europe exhibition in Hamburg, Germany. Meanwhile, winners of the Wave Awards will be announced at a ceremony on Nov. 13 at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

 


ITC Infotech accelerates Vision 2030 through digital hub in Riyadh

Updated 17 January 2026
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ITC Infotech accelerates Vision 2030 through digital hub in Riyadh

ITC Infotech’s commitment to delivering real digital change in the Middle East is reinforced by strengthening collaboration and working more closely with customers on the ground. The establishment of its Digital and AI Engineering Hub in Riyadh brings superior digital engineering and AI skills closer to businesses, allowing for speedier collaboration, localized innovation, and solutions targeted to regional needs. This strategic expansion aligns with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and underscores ITC Infotech’s long-standing emphasis on partnership-led growth and customer-centric innovation.

The hub was officially inaugurated on Jan. 15 by Sanjiv Puri, chairman and managing director of ITC Ltd. This facility is designed to help enterprises leverage advanced technologies and convert digital ambitions into measurable business outcomes. This move aligns closely with Saudi Arabia’s efforts to build a knowledge-driven economy powered by innovation and technology.

Saudi Arabia’s digital leap

Vision 2030 is more than just economic diversification; it is a clear blueprint for creating a technologically advanced society. This vision is centered on the integration of artificial intelligence and digital engineering, which are transforming industries and enabling long-term, sustainable growth. The strategic importance of AI is clear, with the Saudi Data and AI Authority estimating that it may add $135 billion to the Kingdom’s GDP by 2030. This commitment is supported by significant investments, including $14.9 billion announced at LEAP 2025 to advance digital infrastructure, talent, and next-generation technologies, as well as historic projects like the $2.7 billion Hexagon Data Center in Riyadh. Together, these efforts are laying the foundation for a secure, resilient, and future-ready digital ecosystem that can support AI adoption, data-driven governance, and smart city development at scale.

What the hub offers

ITC Infotech’s Riyadh hub is designed to fuel this momentum by focusing on three core areas:

  • AI-powered platforms: Delivering predictive analytics, intelligent automation, and data-driven insights to help businesses transition from reactive operations to proactive strategies.
  • Digital engineering solutions: Leveraging Industry 4.0-driven smart manufacturing capabilities, integrating AI-led modeling, connected systems, and advanced analytics to optimize production performance, improve asset utilization, and proactively reduce operational and quality risks across the engineering lifecycle.
  • Cloud-native architectures: Building agile, secure, and resilient ecosystems that enable faster innovation and seamless integration across enterprise systems.

These capabilities are designed to enable organizations to innovate, scale, and compete in a rapidly evolving digital economy. Beyond technology, the hub is fundamentally anchored in building a team of the region, from the region, for the region and for global impact. Through structured skill-building programs, deep partnerships with academia, systematic knowledge transfer, and immersive, hands-on delivery models, the hub is creating a future-ready Saudi workforce fully aligned with Vision 2030 and capable of serving both national and international priorities.

Driving enterprise transformation 

The ITC Infotech hub aims to enable transformation rather than simply deploy technology. By driving AI adoption, accelerating digital engineering, and building cloud-native ecosystems, ITC Infotech seeks to help businesses:

  • develop new business models to meet evolving market needs.
  • improve operational efficiency through predictive insights and automation.
  • support sustainability goals by optimizing resources and reducing risks.
  • build a skilled local workforce capable of leading future innovations.

These outcomes support enterprises as they transition to more resilient, data-driven, and digitally mature operating models.

The road ahead

ITC Infotech is a wholly owned subsidiary of ITC Limited, one of India’s largest conglomerates, with over 25 years of experience as a trusted technology services partner to enterprises globally. The company focuses on next-generation enterprise transformation, delivering services across infrastructure and application modernization, cloud, cybersecurity, digital engineering, and AI-led innovation.

As Saudi Arabia continues its digital journey, ITC Infotech’s combination of global expertise, strong local presence, and collaborative delivery model positions it as a long-term partner in advancing Vision 2030. ITC Infotech’s hub in Riyadh reflects this commitment, bringing advanced capabilities closer to customers, investing in local talent, and enabling enterprises to adopt AI at scale as they compete in an increasingly digital world.