MSC Cruises is lining up a major UK awareness campaign to help fill its latest ship, Musica, and at least four more vessels due for delivery by 2009.
Speaking last week at the Venice launch of 2,550-passenger Musica, UK director Peter Pate said the cruiseline has become a major player, and will have a near tenfold increase in capacity between 2001 and 2009, but the brand is still not known in the UK.
He said: “Over the next two years we will spend a lot of time and money on the brand so UK consumers and agents know what and who we are.
“It is what we have been trying to do, but without the budget. Now the cruiseline has spent money on new ships, it is also giving us the marketing spend to do the job properly.”
Pate said there will be advertising campaigns in national newspapers and selected magazines highlighting MSC Cruises’ Italian roots.
He said: “There are a lot of bland cruiselines out there. We might not be the biggest, but the heart of the company is Italian and our ships are designed by Italians for Europeans. It’s what sets us apart.”
He said adverts will target middle and upper-income consumers and especially families – new for this year children under 18 sharing a cabin with their parents will cruise for free in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
There will also be more educationals – MSC Cruises took 55 agents to see Musica launched by actress Sophia Loren last week – and day trips for retailers to see ships during visits to UK ports.
Pate said: “We want 80,000-100,000 bookings from the UK over the next three years. We will have 25,000 this year. It is a big increase, but it is achievable.”
Pate admitted prices are low, with seven nights this summer from £649 per person including flights, but said they will increase.
Fresh look, Italian style
As Musica demonstrates, MSC’s ships are becoming more European as the cruiseline continues to grow.
UK director Peter Pate said: “There are lots of Italian touches on Musica, such as the marble, but it is impossible to be totally Italian on all the new ships we are building. But it is European rather than international.”
New ship Musica is the first MSC vessel to have an à la carte restaurant and sushi bar, both charged as extras. The décor is also more colourful than that of its other ships.
Pate added the percentage of Italian crew was also falling as the cruiseline grew and needed more people. He said: “It is difficult as the Italians don’t want to work the anti-social hours.”
| What they said… | |
Keith Miles, Cruise World, Shropshire |
Toni Tunstall, Hays Travel, Darlington |
Kath Doyle, Bawtry Travel, Bawtry, near Doncaster |
Michelle Labram, Ocean World Travel, Southampton |
“It’s a lovely vessel for the middle market and with those prices, it’s a gift. A good product at a good price and there is a foreign feel on board.”
“It’s the first ship I’ve been on and it was fantastic. It has a European feel. The food was good, the service was fantastic – this will appeal to everyone.”
“This is for clients who stay in nice hotels in Greece or Cyprus, but MSC definitely needs to do more publicity. Clients always ask ‘who?”.
“I couldn’t fault the ship. The cabin was nice, the balcony was a good size. I would sell it to 40 to 50-year-old cruisers who like good four-star holidays.”