Optimism for the growth of MSC’s cruise market in Italy and worldwide, with new ships and itineraries and a new Miami terminal making news in 2022 and 2023, but also concern about the international situation. These were the sentiments expressed by Leonardo Massa, managing director of MSC Cruises at the 25th Borsa Mediterranea del Turismo (BMT) travel exchange in Naples.
The situation in Ukraine has called booking trends into question
"Three weeks ago Europe was showing very consistent signs of recovery, and consumer confidence was growing. Then the scenario changed, with the situation in Ukraine slowing consumption and calling into question the booking trends for the summer. We hope and pray for a quick solution for the Ukrainian people, which will also allow tourism demand to gain traction.”
“Cruise prices will remain competitive in 2022”
This year MSC will have eleven ships departing from 15 Italian ports, the highest numbers ever on the Italian market, said Massa, who also added that in 2022 MSC will deploy 21 ships to over 190 destinations in 85 different countries.
Leonardo Massa"In 2022 cruise prices will remain very competitive compared to other kinds of vacations. With regard to Covid measures I expect MSC will continue to embark only vaccinated passengers, in line with the safety measures imposed by the Italian government.”
MSC World Europa is the greenest ship in the fleet
Looking ahead to later this year and to 2023 MSC will be introducing many new itineraries and new ships, and has just laid the first stone of its new cruise terminal in Miami. Due for delivery in October this year the MSC World Europa will be the most modern and greenest ship in the fleet. Offering 7-night cruises in the Arabian Gulf it will have 2,626 cabins and be able to accommodate up to 6,762 passengers when it goes into service.
The new Explora Journeys luxury lifestyle brand
May 2023 will see the launch of MSC Group's new luxury lifestyle brand Explora Journeys in the Mediterranean, Northern Europe, the United Kingdom, Iceland and Greenland, the East Coast of the U.S. and Canada, the Caribbean, South America and Hawaii. These cruises will range from seven to 44 nights and the Grand Journey will dock in 132 ports in 40 countries
MSC has a private island in the Bahamas
Also in April 2023, for the first time MSC Cruises will offer year-round itineraries departing from New York to the Caribbean, Bermuda, New England and Canada on the MSC Meraviglia. With 19 decks it can carry up to 5,700 guests, and many of these cruises will stop at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, the company's stunning private island in the Bahamas.
The new Miami terminal will have a daily capacity of 36,000 passengers
Due to open at the end of 2023, MSC’s new Miami terminal, now being built by the Italian Fincantieri Group, will cost $350 million and be the largest cruise terminal in the United States and among the largest in the world. This state-of-the-art facility, which will handle up to 36,000 passengers a day, will simultaneously be able to host three new generation ships with reduced environmental impact.
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