MSC Cruises has highlighted key factors of its 2017 strategy in the India market. The cruise company has chalked out several areas of focus, which will drive cruise tourist growth for MSC Cruises. Speaking about the market here, Angelo Capurro, executive commercial director, MSC Cruises, said, “The year 2016 was positive for us in India, with our business reporting growth. India is not yet one of the biggest markets for us, but we are implementing our strategy to drive growth from this market. We need to now increase our focus on the India market.”
MSC Cruises aims to achieve a target growth of five million global passengers by 2026, from the two million passengers recorded last year. The company has revealed that it will induct 11 new ships by 2026, spread across various phases. This move will include an investment of nine billion Euros and provide an addiotional capacity of 67,531 passengers. The route-based deployment of these ships is yet to be revealed.
“Induction of new ships in our fleet will play a good role in driving this growth, as travellers are showing interest in new ships,” added Capurro.
In 2016, India emerged as the top source market for cruise tourism in Dubai. Realising the potential, MSC Cruises, which already has a significant presence in the GCC, plans to leverage India’s positioning in Dubai’s cruise market to develop business from India.
Commenting on plans to connect India directly to its routes, he stated, “Cruise-related infrastructure in India needs to be developed to accomodate big ships, as MSC’s fleet is young and a large part of it consists big ships. For growth in India, we need to promote the right iteneraries, which play an important role in driving growth. Our Mediterranean itineraries are the most popular among Indian cruise tourists. We have a strategy in place for 2017 which includes co-ordination with Indian travel companies and tour operators. We have a sustainable marketing plan.”
MSC Cruises, currently, is the only cruise company operating cruises to Cuba, which will also be promoted in India.
“We see a lot of potential in the MICE segment too. However, a challenge in MICE business is the length of cruise itineraries since a large part of cruise tourism consists leisure. We can work on spliting the itineraries into two parts – MICE and leisure – for business travellers. Cruises are a good option for MICE also because its inclusive nature, taking care of everything including food, accomodation, venues, events etc,” added Capurro.
