Speaking at a media event in central London on Thursday (2 October), Paradiso revealed MSC Cruises currently commands a 15% share of the overall cruise market here and the line had increased prices of its ex-UK sailings by 20% “in the last couple of years”.
Paradiso, who flew to MSC’s head office in Geneva, Switzerland, after the event, said: “There’s an opportunity to do better. There’s going to be an announcement next week. We’re working for the future of the UK market I’m going to stay very quiet now.
“Our effort will only increase in the next couple of years. There are always going to be more ships coming. We still believe there’s a lot of growth ahead and we want to be part of it.”
The UK and Ireland currently sits among MSC Cruises’ top three source markets, according to Paradiso.
Furthermore, following the announcement that the line's luxury space MSC Yacht Club will be added to MSC Magnifica, Paradiso said: “More and more customers are looking for the MSC Yacht Club experience.
“The UK is the second largest market for us in terms of MSC Yacht Club sales. Guests are increasingly looking for that luxury premium experience and we want to cater for that demand. “
Reflecting on the past few years, Paradiso said: “Some people thought I was crazy to have two ships in the UK. One in the summer, one in the winter.
“The data is showing that it is the right thing to do. We’ve also increased our presence in Europe. We now have 14 ships there in the summer. Our customers and travel agents will always be spoilt for choice.
“There’s been a 15% year-on-year increase in terms of uptake in the Med from this market.”
He added: “After the pandemic, demand for long-haul cruises was going down, so this decision to up capacity in the Med was all about sailing closer to home. We’ve strengthened our partnership with Jet2 – a 42% increase.”
Paradiso revealed the western Mediterranean currently had “the edge” over eastern Mediterranean.
