Asked whether cruise supply is currently outstripping demand, Antonio Paradiso is unequivocal. “We’re far from overcapacity – we’re right in the middle of a golden age for cruise,” he tells TTG.
The answer from MSC Group’s international sales vice-president will be music to agents’ ears as they attempt to fill the sector’s ever-increasing European and UK-based fleets this summer and beyond.
Paradiso’s optimism isn’t without basis; he’s well placed to comment after, earlier this year, being handed the role of global sales chief for MSC Group, which operates 24 ships across two brands – MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys.
So, besides heading up MSC and Explora in the UK and Ireland, he’s also now responsible for international markets including Australia, South Africa and Scandinavia.
How, then, is the UK and Irish market faring compared with these new regions falling under Paradiso’s remit? “I’m pleased to say it’s in the top five globally – it’s gone up two places in the past 18 months,” he reveals.
Although Paradiso declines to say where exactly it sits in the pecking order, he suggests it’s pulling its weight alongside MSC’s larger source markets like Italy and the US.
“In 2018, we didn’t have a ship sailing from the UK – now we have a ship here all year round,” he says. “That’s all part of the incredible story we’ve created with our travel agents. We just need to keep doing more in the future. There’s always going to be more opportunities for both the trade and customers [in the UK].”
Paradiso argues market competition is “always good because it pushes you to do more and do better”. “The cruise industry is not one where you reflect,” he reasons.
“You have to think about what you can do next. Demand is strong, and now Asia has fully reopened, and many emerging markets are falling in love with cruising, we need more capacity.”
Paradiso confirms MSC Cruises is seeing “double-digit” growth in “mature” cruise markets like the UK and Ireland. However, he admits other cruise companies’ experiences “may be different”.
Paradiso says strong sales performance encouraged his bosses to expand his remit back in January. “Every two to three years, I hope to get a new challenge,” he says. “But I’ve never pitched for anything in my whole life – [the promotion] was based on merit and performance.”
He believes the wider MSC Group can benefit following his promotion. “We thought it was an opportunity to enhance our organisation and the right thing to support our growth,” he says, noting how he sits at “a corporate” level as well as “a local” one, which means he gets “the best of both worlds”.
Paradiso confirms that despite his loftier position, he keeps in regular touch with agency bosses around the UK and Ireland, adding: “You always need to keep your ears to the ground in my position and make sure everything is fit for purpose.”
Brand synergies
Launched last July, Explora Journeys – MSC’s ultra-luxury sister line – is a very different proposition, but Paradiso insists they can learn from each other. MSC Cruises’ latest vessel, MSC Euribia, can carry more than 6,000 passengers, while Explora Journeys’ Explora I has capacity for 922 passengers.
“It was interesting to go from a much larger operation to a more niche one,” he explains. “My Explora Journeys role helps me create itineraries for MSC. Explora I has the ability, for instance, to visit less well-known ports in places like Norway and Iceland. I hadn’t really thought about this before.
“In June 2026, MSC Virtuosa will sail a new Iceland itinerary, which has an overnight call in Reykjavik and calls into Akureyri and Isafjordur too. We didn’t have such an itinerary before for MSC. There are synergies that are useful for both brands.”
MSC Cruises, like many other lines, has been faced with some difficult decisions as tensions rise in the Middle East. Last year, in addition to changes to grand voyages on MSC Virtuosa, MSC Opera, MSC Splendida and MSC Armonia passing through the Red Sea, MSC also decided to scrap MSC Sinfonia and MSC Orchestra’s entire programmes owing to safety concerns arising from Israel’s war with Hamas.
Paradiso, though, insists that with MSC’s operations in the region focused on Arabian Gulf, there is little for the crew, passengers or agents to worry about. MSC Euribia will operate cruises from Dubai during the upcoming winter season.
“There are no reasons to be concerned about sailing in the Arabian Gulf,” he says. “Our cruises are in the Arabian Gulf, which is quite far away from the Suez Canal. We were among one of the first cruise lines to adjust our repositioning cruises.”
The Middle East has not been the only fly in MSC’s ointment in recent years. After former Chelsea FC owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned in 2022 due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, MSC decided to “temporarily withdraw” all marketing with its footballing partner.
However, more than two years on from that decision, the partnership is back on an even keel and Paradiso hopes to extend it. “We celebrated the partnership’s fifth anniversary a few months ago,” he notes. “We’ve worked well together.”
Paradiso knows it’s partnerships with the likes of Chelsea, Formula 1 and, crucially, travel agents that will help MSC shine even brighter in cruise’s “golden age”.
