MSC Cruises to homeport MSC Armonia to Tampa in November 2020

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 12 September 2019 12 September 2019

MSC Cruises — the world’s fastest growing and fourth largest cruise line — is continuing to expand its presence in the North American region with the introduction of Tampa as a new homeport for the company. Starting Nov. 11, 2020, MSC Armonia will begin sailing from Tampa to the Caribbean, Mexico and The Bahamas year-round, with a full Winter season (Nov. 2020 – April 2021) of 4- to 5-night short cruises followed by a Summer season (May 2021-Nov. 2021) of week-long cruise options.

“As MSC Cruises expands its presence in the U.S., the introduction of Tampa as a homeport plays an important role in our long-term deployment strategy for this region,” said Ken Muskat, EVP and Chief Operating Officer of MSC Cruises USA. “We’ve seen increased demand for cruise options from Tampa as vacationers from around the world look to explore the city and surrounding areas pre- and post-cruise. We’re looking forward to bringing MSC Armonia, one of our more classic and charming ships, to Tampa and to introducing even more travelers to the MSC Cruises experience, inspired by our European heritage.”

“We are thrilled that MSC Cruises will be offering year-round cruises from Port Tampa Bay next year,” said Paul Anderson, President and CEO of Port Tampa Bay. “MSC Cruises offers an enriching and immersive cruise experience, bringing together people from around the world. Tampa is also known for the unique experiences the city offers its residents and visitors, appealing to a diverse mix of nationalities and cultures. We couldn’t be more excited for MSC Armonia’s new home to be Port Tampa Bay.”

Itineraries

For the Winter 2020-2021 season, MSC Armonia will offer a variety of 4- and 5-night sailings, visiting destinations such as Key West; Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Progreso, Mexico; and Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve, MSC Cruises’ new private island destination in The Bahamas. With options for guests to book back-to-back cruises with new destinations on each sailing, travelers also have the ability to extend the length of their vacation with 9- or 10-night options. In addition, for those looking to get away during the holiday season, MSC Armonia will offer several 7-night cruise options in December 2020, including Christmas and New Years.

“With a range of itineraries, including short cruise options, MSC Armonia’s itineraries from Tampa are ideal for groups, including family reunions, meetings, incentives and corporate events, as well as charters,” said Muskat. “In addition, the four- and five-night options are a great opportunity for someone who has never cruised before to try cruising as a vacation option or if they are new to MSC Cruises to check out one of our ships for the first time.”

Following its inaugural season in Tampa, MSC Armonia will then transition to 7-night sailings from May through Nov. 2021, with stops at Key West; Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve; Cozumel, Mexico; and Progreso, Mexico. Prices start at $299 per person.

Japan sets its sight on global source market

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 12 September 2019 12 September 2019

Alan Lam reporting from Hamburg

Japan has seen its cruise traffic and capacity deployment rising substantially and sustainably in recent years. There is no doubt that, at least in part thanks to the number of ships arriving from China, the country’s cruise business is expanding steadily.
Seizing the opportunity created by the current momentum, ports and regions of Japan have shifted up a gear in promoting themselves to source markets around the world. The country’s large and colourful presence at this year’s Seatrade Europe Cruise & River Cruise Convention again adds gaiety and vivacity to the event.

Japan is increasing its investment in tourism, especially in cruise tourism where the indisputable economic impacts on modern Japanese society are recognised and valued.

CruiseBusiness.com Magazine spoke to Masafumi Ono, Assistant Manager for Port and Cruise Promotion, City of Osaka.
He told us that the city’s existing cruise terminal was capable of hosting Quantum-class ships, but it had its sight set on attracting the Oasis class vessels and was currently seeking PFI for the construction of a new, larger cruise terminal. “If the finance is in place, work will start in 2020 and we aim to open the terminal in March 2023,” Ono told us.

In 2018, Osaka attracted 45 cruise calls; this year it has a total of 61 calls booked; and in 2020 the port forecasts 90 calls.
Osaka is promoting itself as a good overnight destination. As one of Japan’s biggest cities, it has excellent direct flight connections with most of its key source markets all over the world. The city is keen to become a major cruise homeport of the region.

For the moment, most cruise ships arriving at Osaka and many of Japan’s other cruise ports come from China. But the country has its sight set not only on China and other Asian markets; it aims to attract a global audiance. In February 2020, for example, a group of five ports - consisted of Aomori, Kanazawa, Sakaiminato, Kitakyushu, Kobe, and Hiroshima - will showcase their cruise facilities and attractions in London. “This event will have the support of the Japanese Ambassador to the U.K.,” said Kenji Yamamoto, Manager of Sakai Port Authority.

Japan’s ports organise this kind of strategic promotional seminars every year in in key cities of Europe and North America.

Vanilla Islands making their voices heard

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 12 September 2019 12 September 2019

Alan Lam reporting from Hamburg

The group of islands in the Indian Ocean, comprised of Seychelles, Madagascar, Réunion, Mauritius, Comoros, and Mayotte are collectively making their cruise business voices heard through the Vanilla Islands brand at the bi-annual Seatrade Europe 2019 Cruise & River Cruise Convention. Vanilla Island is an official sponsor of the event.

Much of the cruise activities in these territories are centred on the island state of Mauritius, where 43 cruise calls were recorded in 2018 and around 50 are expected this year. Other islands are equally within the radar of the cruise lines and their passengers.

The Indian Ocean islands are still minor league players in the cruise world and they are likely to remain so for the foreseeable future, though steady year-on-year traffic growths are envisaged. “At the moment, Asia is sucking away all the available capacities. We are still trying to find our niche in the industry,” Pascal Viroleau, CEO of Vanilla Islands, told CruiseBusiness.com Magazine.

Having said that, the islands are far from being undiscovered or neglected by the cruise world. Several mainly Europe-based cruise lines have been their regular callers for years; among them are the likes of AIDA Cruises, Costa Crociere, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, and Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten. As the industry’s capacity continues to expand, these islands can expect to see more and more cruise ships come calling.

In preparation for future demands, the island of Mauritius has a substantial dedicated cruise terminal under construction. When completed in 2020, the facility will have a 300-metre berthing line and capable of processing up to 4,000 passengers a day. That’s not all. “We will be launching a new marketing strategy this month, aiming at finding a way forward,” said Viroleau. “We need to decide what kind of business model we want to pursuit, what type of ships to attract, where do we go from here, and what will be our objectives.”

These tropical mountainous islands are wooing potential cruise visitors with their white sandy beaches, creole culture, blue lagoons, rain forests, spices, and much more. They are making their voices heard.

Arabian Gulf targets the landmark one million cruise passengers in 2020

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: More News More News

Published: 11 September 2019 11 September 2019

Alan Lam reporting from Hamburg

The drive to grow cruise tourism in the Arabian Gulf has never relented in recent years. Once again, a large contingent of representatives from the region’s ports and tourism authorities are showcasing their facilities, hospitality, and attractions at Seatrade Europe 2019 Cruise & River Cruise Convention in Hamburg.

CruiseBusiness.com Magazine correspondent spoke to Jamal Humaid AL Falasi, Dubai’s Director of Cruise Tourism about the recent development in the region.

He told us that Dubai was continuing to upgrade its world-class cruise facilities. It already has a state-of-the-art cruise facility that is capable of handling six large cruise ships simultaneously. This, it seems, is not quite enough to meet the ambitious requirement forecast. Its current “Dubai Harbour” project on a different location aims to add another terminal to host two more ships, bringing its total capacity to being able to host eight ships at any one time.

This aspirational move is not without a solid foundation. The prognosis for the region’s cruise business is a bright one. In 2018, for instance, Dubai attracted 157 calls, bringing in a total of 725,000 passengers. This year, it expects 199 calls and 850,000 passengers. 2020 will be a landmark year for Dubai’s cruise tourism, as it targets one million passengers for the first time.

In the coming season, the port has attracted two new homeporting clients: Crystal Cruises and the return of Royal Caribbean International.

It does not end there. Apart from the traditional European and American source markets, the Arabian Gulf region is now also looking at the source markets in the East and, at the same time, seeking to prolong its cruise season. “The Chinese and the Indians love coming to Dubai. We also would love to see them coming on cruise ships,” Al Falasi told us.

The recent start-up Jalesh Cruises of India has just had its first summer of operations in the Arabian Gulf. “All of its cruises were sold out. They’ve had a very successful season,” said Al Falasi. The presence of Jalesh during the summer has already turned the Gulf into a year-round cruise destination.

The region is keen to further develop cruise itineraries eastward. “We speak to cruise lines all the time about the business potentials and homeporting opportunities in our region,” continued Al Falasi, “We can, for example, suggest 7- and 14-night itineraries from the Gulf to three Indian ports: Mumbai, Goa, and Cochin.”

The success of Jalesh is a good indication of a strong business case for going down this road. “There is much more we can do,” he went on. “There is now a study being carried out by a company on the feasibility of cruising to Singapore from Dubai.”

Evidently, the cruise business development efforts of Arabian Gulf region are multifaceted: they include the continuing drives to increase capacity, enlarge the source market base, envisaging pioneering itineraries, and lengthening its cruise season. Its success is measured by year-on-year growths in calls and passenger numbers, which is on course to hit the one million mark next year.