Ocean Cay and MSC Cruises’ Commitment to Caribbean Cruising

Ocean Cay and MSC Cruises’ Commitment to Caribbean Cruising

By Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman, MSC Cruises

As MSC Cruises’ global footprint

increases—our fleet’s expansion will see our guest capacity triple in just 10 years—we are strongly growing our presence in the Caribbean. Working with local authorities, travel agents and other partners, every year we increase the number of ships that we deploy in these waters and the number of ports that we reach.

This past season we have had five cruise ships deployed across the Caribbean, homeporting in Bridgetown, Cozumel, Havana, Fort de France and Pointe à Pitre. Our partnership has generated a considerable contribution to these islands’ economies, supporting economic activities of strategic importance such as airlines, hotels and the restaurants.

In November, MSC Meraviglia will become our sixth cruise ship in the region. More ships will join them from 2020 onwards. In line with our commitment to sustainability, they will all be equipped with the most advanced environmental technologies.

POSITIONING FOR SUCCESS MSC Cruises represents an unusual case within the cruise industry. Challenging conventional wisdom, we grew out of Europe when competition in the Caribbean intensified, focusing instead on the Med and other underpenetrated regions. In just 10 years, we became the number one cruise line in Europe. Today, as the industry seeks to develop new markets across the world, we are extending our footprint in the Caribbean.

As part of the MSC Group, one of the world’s biggest shipping conglomerates, we already have a strong presence in the Caribbean. Every year our cargo ships move hundreds of thousands of TEUs across the region. We now seek to establish stronger partnerships for MSC Cruises in this region – with the long-term vision that only a family company can provide.

Despite persistent talk of market saturation, we see a great potential to grow in Caribbean waters. Having developed a strong international customer base—last

year we welcomed over 170 nationalities on board our ships—our guests’ diversity is one our strongest assets. We profile the Caribbean as a tourist destination around the entire world, bringing millions of international travelers to the region. Many of them will come back in the future, for longer stays.

12 SECOND QUARTER 2019 | TRAVEL & CRUISE

To achieve this, we are constantly evolving our offering. In December 2017 we introduced MSC Seaside to the region. With the industry’s highest ratio of open space per person, she has been specifically conceived for the Caribbean’s warm weather. We are also working on other innovative platforms to give our passengers a wealth of choices. Among others, we are developing a new generation of luxury cruise ships that will bring a new and distinctive experience to the region.

A LITTLE TASTE OF PARADISE Perhaps nothing speaks better of our commitment to Caribbean cruising than the Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve. Located in the Bahamas, this will be a cruise destination like no other, offering uninterrupted ocean views, crystal clear waters, soft white sandy beaches and endless entertainment options. It will exist in full harmony with the local ecosystem, giving our guests a little taste of paradise. A former sand extraction site, it presented a desolate post-industrial landscape when we took it over in 2016. Our vision has been to move the cay away from resource exploitation to resource conservation.

NATURE AT ITS HEART For the past three years we have worked in partnership with the Government of the Bahamas and its environmental experts to restore Ocean Cay to its former pristine condition. Having removed over 5,000 tons of industrial waste from the cay and the surrounding waters, we are now planting 75,000 indigenous trees and shrubs across the island. The work to restore the island’s surrounding waters is at the center of the

project. We are establishing a coral nursery to encourage the growth of new coral and enable balance to be restored to the sea bed, which will encourage the return of marine life. We also plan to build a marine laboratory.

Nature will be at the heart of our guests’ experience, with a vast array of experiences available to let them explore the Caribbean’s natural wonders.

“WE NOW SEEK TO ESTABLISH STRONGER PARTNERSHIPS FOR MSC CRUISES IN THIS REGION…”

AN EXTENSION OF OUR SHIPS We are now assembling 100 environmentally-friendly structures as well as an iconic lighthouse that will become Ocean Cay’s landmark and a focal point of evening entertainment. Thanks to a navigational channel dredged when the cay was used for industrial purposes, our ships will dock alongside the island, letting guests embark and disembark at their leisure. Ocean Cay will effectively become an extension of our cruise ships.

Located in the Bahamas’ western rim, Ocean Cay is accessible from all corners of the Caribbean and will cater for East and West itineraries alike.

CREATING LOCAL BENEFITS I cannot think of a better way to affirm our long-term commitment to Caribbean cruising than this project. While I appreciate that some may regard the development of private island destinations with skepticism, Ocean Cay will reinforce our presence in the region, creating benefits for all our partners. It will translate into more MSC cruise ships deployed across the Caribbean, creating more calls at more ports and on more islands.

The Bahamas, where the MSC Group already has a strong footprint, stands to capture many of the benefits that this project will produce. Ocean Cay represents a capital investment exceeding $200 million. It has already generated hundreds of jobs for local Bahamians during the development phase and will generate around 140 local permanent jobs when it opens its doors. Of course, returning an industrial wasteland to nature will have incalculable value for the Bahamas’ people and ecosystem.

A COMMITMENT TO THE REGION The Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve represents another major step in our Caribbean expansion. This one-of-akind island experience will reinforce our regional itineraries and our offering, giving our guests a glimpse of unspoiled Caribbean nature. It will also give us the tools to continue growing in this region, together with our friends and partners.

We cannot wait for MSC Meraviglia to bring our first guests to Ocean Cay on November 14.

SECOND QUARTER 2019 | TRAVEL & CRUISE 13