Published on : Tuesday, February 26, 2019
The global cruise tourism industry is said to be worth $126 billion a year, creating more than one million jobs and attracting more than 24 million passengers a year.
Although the South African market is small by comparison, it is increasing gradually and the future holds a lot of promise for the country with an even bigger slice of the booming market.
More than 100 000 passengers cruise annually on MSC Cruise ships already. MSC offers regular cruises from Durban and Cape Town.
Passengers arrive from all over the country-and even further afield-to set sail on these cruises, and many of them stay in local hotels before or after their cruises, extending their holidays and thereby boosting the income of the local hospitality industry.
At the World Travel Awards in 2018, the Port of Durban was felicitated as Africa’s Leading Cruise Port. This year MSC Cruises increased the size of its ship for the current South African season to cater for the increased demand from passengers. The current liner, the MSC Musica is capable of carrying 3 223 passengers, which is around 550 more than the previous ship, the MSC Sinfonia.
Tags: cruise tourism, South Africa