MSC Cruises increases its stake in Spanish market

Fernando Pacheco, general manager of MSC Cruises in Spain, commented, ‘Last summer we saw a growth of 20% in the Spanish market – compared to 2019 – and, with this excellent figure in mind, for this year we set ourselves the goal of expanding the number of departures from Spain with seven ports of embarkation reflecting our commitment and desire to bring Spanish ports closer to national cruise passengers.’

Fly-cruise expansion

The line is also offering direct flights from Valencia and Malaga for Spanish passengers to join its ships cruising in Northern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean, which will add to the existing fly-cruise connections from Madrid and Barcelona airports which also tie in with cruises out of New York and Miami in the summer.

More than 60,000 Spaniards will take a fly-cruise with MSC this year.

After its inauguration last November in Doha, MSC World Europe, returns to the Mediterranean in 2023 based year-round from Barcelona.

Terminal investment in Barcelona

Lluís Salvadó, president of the Port of Barcelona, commented, ‘We highly value MSC's commitment both in terms of environmental sustainability and to increase the number of turnaround passengers in Barcelona.’

MSC Cruises expects to inaugurate its new terminal in Barcelona next year, ‘equipped with facilities for the supply of green energy to ships, in line with the commitment of the Port of Barcelona to advance on the path to decarbonization,’ added Salvadó.

In Cádiz, where MSC Cruises’ ships visit, shore power will be available at berth from next year.