Spotlight
Richard Sasso Spotlights MSC’s Return in a Pair of FCCA Zoom Meetings
“T
he cruise industry has experienced decades of extraordinary growth and success. Our current situation is an interruption of that success, but as an industry we are resilient and will come out on the other side of this smarter and stronger,” said MSC Cruises USA Chairman Richard Sasso before taking the spotlight in back-to-back FCCA Zoom meetings the week of August 17. On Tuesday, August 18, he along with MSC Cruises’ European relaunch – with MSC Grandiosa and MSC Magnifica resuming operations in the Mediterranean starting from August 16 and 29, respectively, offering guests full-experience cruise holidays with the opportunity to discover five different destinations during a 7-night cruise – took much of the focus in the America’s Cruise Tourism Task Force, as he shared vital lessons with Prime Ministers and Ministers of Tourism throughout the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Mexico. In particular, some of the protocols interesting the participants included the self-imposed 70 percent maximum occupancy, rolling boarding in different ports and expanding its ‘bubble’ by only using
14 THIRD QUARTER 2020 | TRAVEL & CRUISE
local tour operators that are adapting to the brand’s protocols that go ‘above and beyond.’ Those more overarching protocols included close work with the different authorities in the countries where the Company’s ships will call. A dedicated task force, with the input and support of lead-
“…AS AN INDUSTRY WE ARE RESILIENT AND WILL COME OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS SMARTER AND STRONGER.”
ing external medical experts, developed a robust protocol with new MSC Cruises specific operating procedures that go beyond the actual regional and national guidelines and effectively set a new standard. Additionally, RINA, the independent maritime certification corporation, verified that the protocol meets the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) Guidance, which incorporates additional health standards including those from the EU Healthy Gateways Joint Action. The new procedures include universal COVID-19 testing for all guests and crew prior to embarkation, protected ashore visits at each destination only with an MSC Cruises excursion as added level of protection for guests and the introduction of a COVID Protection Plan for further peace of mind for guests. Those teachings were used in a different curriculum on Thursday, August 20, as Sasso headlined the standing FCCA Zoom gathering for its Platinum Members, with numerous stakeholders also having the chance to not only listen to his presentation outlining MSC’s restart and new protocols, but also ask questions regarding their own businesses and operations in the ‘new normal.’
