MSC launches summer 2022 as UK boss predicts 'longer' wave

Speaking ahead of the line’s summer 2022 programme going on sale, Antonio Paradiso told TTG he believed “next year there will be no such thing as a normal wave and peaks season”.

“I can see everything blending together and lasting a lot longer than usual – it could be one season that starts in January and ends in May.”

Paradiso said demand during this elongated booking period would perhaps not be as strong as previous years but recent “very encouraging” sales made during MSC’s Black Friday campaign had given him more confidence.

“If you’d asked me two months ago if there will be a wave season, I would have said no, but now I have a different outlook after the success and volume we saw during Black Friday.

“People want something to look forward to and they want to put their savings this year towards a holiday. In January and February they will be asking what’s on offer?”

“I have seen some people saying that 2021 is a right-off but I don’t believe that’s true. There is definitely demand and there are good and bad days, so that’s why wave could be more drawn out.”