China News Service, Shanghai, March 16 (Reporter Li Jiajia) MSC Honor, a subsidiary of MSC Cruises, the world's largest family-owned cruise company, officially launched its maiden voyage from its home port in mainland China in Shanghai on the 16th.
On March 15, MSC Glory docked at Shanghai Wusongkou International Cruise Port.
(Photo courtesy of MSC Cruises)
MSC Cruises is the first international cruise brand to sail from its home port in mainland China since China fully resumed international cruise transportation.
It will bring 25 popular cruises to Chinese tourists departing from the two major home ports of Shanghai and Shenzhen, covering the spring and summer tourist seasons.
MSC Cruises also announced the 2024-2025 winter homeport season in China. It will not only operate the winter voyages of its "star cruise" MSC Glory in the fourth quarter of 2024 from the home ports of Shenzhen and Xiamen, but also plans to launch MSC Glory in early 2025. The ship's deployment has returned to Shanghai's home port. In addition to the MSC Glory's earlier home port route in Taiwan, MSC Cruises will also become the first international cruise brand to deploy two ships and four home ports in the Chinese market in the first year of China's comprehensive resumption of international cruise transportation.
MSC Glory was launched in 2019, with a maximum capacity of 5,686 passengers, a total registered tonnage of 172,000 tons, and a total of 2,217 high-quality cabins. It will be Asia's largest luxury cruise ship with the largest tonnage and the most advanced technology in 2024.
"China has always been an important strategic market for MSC Cruises. In the past few years, we have been recuperating and taking advantage of the momentum, hoping to return to the Chinese market as soon as possible." At the maiden voyage ceremony, MSC Cruises CEO Gianni Onorato ( Gianni Honorado) said, "In the future, we will continue to increase investment in the Chinese market, further implement the strategic layout and plans for development in China, and promote the recovery and high-quality development of the Chinese cruise industry."
Not long after MSC Cruises resumed its maiden voyage from its home port in Shanghai, Spectrum of the Seas, a subsidiary of Royal Caribbean International, another major international cruise brand, will also return to Shanghai in April this year.
According to reports, during the May Day holiday this year, the "Spectrum of the Seas" will start cruise vacation routes from Shanghai to surrounding countries ranging from 4 nights and 5 days to 7 nights and 8 days.
Dr. Liu Zinan, Global Senior Vice President of Royal Caribbean Group and Chairman of Asia, said: "We have been waiting for the day to return to China and Shanghai."
MSC Honor, a subsidiary of MSC Cruises, launched its maiden voyage from its home port in mainland China in Shanghai on March 16.
(Photo courtesy of MSC Cruises)
The cruise industry is known as the "gold industry floating on the sea". Because of its long industrial chain, wide coverage, strong economic driving force and strong adsorption power, it has become a hot spot pursued by port cities and has effectively promoted the acceleration of the marine economy in coastal urban belts. develop.
Research results released by the cruise economic prosperity index research team led by Professor Wang Hong of Shanghai University of Engineering and Technology and Shanghai International Cruise Economy Research Center show that the cruise economic prosperity index of China and Asia in 2023 is 101.55 and 101.6 respectively, compared with 2022 have increased significantly, showing a rapid upward trend.
The reason is the release of three strong driving forces: the resumption of international cruises, the return of foreign-owned cruises, and cruise manufacturing and delivery.
The research team pointed out that after the full development of the momentum period, the cruise economy will surely usher in a new situation, predicting that the cruise economy prosperity index in China and Asia will show a further accelerated upward trend from 2024 to 2025.
Industry insiders believe that the rapid return of many international large-scale cruise ships shows the confidence and ambition of the world's cruise giants in the Chinese market and will also provide more opportunities for exchanges and mutual learning between Chinese and foreign large-scale cruise ships.
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