MSC Cruises grows agent partnerships by 10% in four months

MSC Cruises has increased its number of agent partners by 10% in four months and now aims for further growth, according to the company’s UK and Ireland managing director.

Antonio Paradiso spoke to Travel Weekly on MSC Euribia on Friday, October 13, as the vessel prepared for the first departure of its maiden season from Southampton.

Outlining the level of support for the new ship, Paradiso said: “The love we’ve been getting from travel agents is incredible.”

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MSC Euribia and MSC Virtuosa are both sailing from Southampton this month, which has helped the cruise line secure its record winter for UK bookings.

“Agents asked for more capacity from Southampton in the winter, so it’s great to see they’re behind this – and it’s a win-win,” said Paradiso.

The 10% boost to MSC Cruises’ trade distribution network has come after a concerted campaign.

“We’ve seen a huge growth in Barrhead, Hays, Midcounties and Advantage,” Paradiso said.

“These are the ones we’ve been heavily investing in over the last few months and our sales team are backing them up regionally and nationally.”

MSC Cruises is targeting a further 15% increase in agent partners in the first quarter of next year, Paradiso said.

“MSC Cruises is already a huge brand in this country but we’re being approached by new agents every week,” he added.

Ship visits for MSC Euribia started this month and slots are fully booked until Christmas, Paradiso said.

A number of travel businesses have also expressed interest in holding conferences and events on the ship, Paradiso said, with Not Just Travel being the first to do so.

Praising the franchise, Paradiso said: “We’ve seen amazing growth from them over the last 18 months and the fact they’re doing a conference here says a lot.”

More broadly, Paradiso said a welcome development has been a growth in early bookings. In the summer, he said, agents were taking bookings for summer 2025.

“We’re seeing more and more people booking early. In the past we used to focus on certain periods of the year – like January to March – but now I’m seeing more and more consistency,” Paradiso said.

“We’re already seeing the trends for summer 2024 are even stronger than this year.”

He added: “What we’ve seen now for five consecutive months is that every day has been a good day, which is very encouraging.”