MSC Cruises recently concluded its local summer cruise season in South Africa on a high note. During the season, MSC Splendida took just under 121 000 passengers on memorable ocean holidays. Ross Volk, Managing Director of MSC Cruises South Africa, says the company is looking forward to the return of recently refurbished MSC Musica to local South African shores for the upcoming season. A firm favourite with the local market, the vessel will make its return in November 2024.
“The current trends are looking positive,” Volk explains. “In fact, South Africans are increasingly seeing cruising as the best value proposition for holidaying because it is an all-inclusive price for a unique experience.”
South Africa is one of MSC Cruises’ Top-10 markets by volume. In addition, he says, MSC Cruises is seeing a large increase in passengers coming from across Africa and even overseas to cruise from South Africa.
MSC Cruises runs four routes from South African ports. The Durban-to-Mozambique route is the most popular with local tourists, while the Cape Town-to-Walvis Bay route is particularly popular with overseas cruisers. The other two routes are Durban-to-Mauritius and Durban-to-Cape Town.
As mentioned, from 22 November 2024 to 30 March 2025, MSC Musica will be deployed to South African ports for the upcoming 2024/2025 season. The vessel last visited in 2018 and offers more flexibility in accommodating the multiple entertainment options that the South African market prefers. Themed cruises, unique to South Africa, are a major drawcard.
“Cruising is not just great value, it’s also increasingly being seen as a way to experience destinations in a new way, to get under the skin of the locals, so to speak,” Volk says. “This emphasis on experience is particularly a mark of Generation X and Millennials, who are turning towards cruising in greater numbers.”
The good summer season experienced over the 2023/2024 local cruise season, and the hope that further growth will be experienced in the 2024/2025 season, is good news not just for cruise companies but also for the South African economy as a whole. Around 3.7% of the country’s gross domestic product in 2023 can be attributed to tourism, which employed 4.7% of the workforce. In all, the Department of Tourism says the sector contributes R287 billion to the economy.
“Providing goods and services to the cruising market is one huge job creator, but the quest for deeper experiences that reflect local cultures also opens up vast new opportunities for individuals and communities,” Volk concludes. “The expected growth in cruising numbers has the potential to shift the dial on our stubborn unemployment figures by providing entrepreneurs with greater scope.”
