THE Middle East’s emergence as a major airline economy is behind MSC Cruises’ investment in the region (CW 03 May), Chief Executive Officer Gianni Onorato has told CW. Ahead of Cruise Lines International Association’s Cruise Forum 2021 (see page 1), Onorato said the Middle East’s arrival as a domain for...
THE Middle East’s emergence as a major airline economy is behind MSC Cruises’ investment in the region (CW 03 May), Chief Executive Officer Gianni Onorato has told CW.
Ahead of Cruise Lines International Association’s Cruise Forum 2021 (see page 1), Onorato said the Middle East’s arrival as a domain for some of the world’s best airlines gave MSC a fantastic chance to solidify itself as a leader in fly-cruise.
“[The Middle East] is home for some of the world’s major airlines and finest airports which are incredibly important factors for international travellers, and extremely significant for us too in all of our source markets for guests,” he said.
“The region has something attractive to offer for everyone, whether it be culture and traditions that date back many thousands of years, somewhere new to visit, amazing beaches, UNESCO World Heritage sites, fabulous weather and the chance to enjoy a well-earned break.
“For this coming winter we have in place a range of fly-cruise packages for international guests to embark our ships in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Doha in Qatar and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.”
Onorato flagged there is great consumer demand for the region, which was likely to increase as MSC embarks on its inaugural Red Sea sailings.
The cruise line plans to be in the Middle-East for the long-term too, having recently made a commitment to operate Red Sea cruises from the port of Jeddah, as Saudi Arabia itself continues to place a great emphasis on developing its tourism and cruise infrastructure.
The Middle East is just one spoke of a larger global strategy to put money into destinations around the world, Onorato said.
“We have planned further investments in ports all around the world with developments of new cruise terminals in Miami, one that is bound to become a landmark in the world’s capital of cruising, as well as Barcelona, Spain and Ancona, Italy,” he said.
“Later this year we will open a new facility in Durban, South Africa…we also signed a joint venture with the Palumbo Group to operate the Palumbo Malta shipyard.”
