The cruise sector is not only seeing the recovery of its numbers this year, after the pandemic stoppage, but is also breaking absolute records, as is the case of MSC Cruises.
Fernando Pacheco, general manager of the company, says that these weeks they are having "a volume of reservations much higher than that of 2019". "Our goal is to reach 120,000 passengers in 2022, 20% more than in 2019," he adds.
In the case of Lanzarote, the port of Arrecife has benefited greatly, especially due to the good reception of British tourists to the new connections proposed, and emphasizes that "Lanzarote is a first-class stopover, due to its gastronomic offer, its climate, its landscapes and its culture."
Cruises leave a lot of money in Lanzarote
Currently, MSC Cruises has nine stopovers in Lanzarote, stops that tend to leave a considerable amount of money on the island, as most passengers decide to venture out and visit its corners.
"It is a tourist destination of great interest to our clients, so the percentage of passengers who leave the ship to visit the island is very high," adds Fernando Pacheco.
According to data from the International Association of Cruise Lines (CLIA), the average spending per cruise passenger per day in a transit destination, such as Lanzarote, is 89 euros per stopover, and 341 euros per day in the ports of embarkation, which in total "represents a significant economic impact on the local economy of these destinations" during the season, as shipping companies transport up to 4,000 and 5,000 passengers per trip.
"The world of cruises is a sector that greatly boosts the economy because it moves a large number of people in a short period of time," adds Fernando Pacheco.
In addition, he specifies that 50% of his passengers hire excursions at the destination with the company, while the other half tends to go on their own, although there are some people who decide to stay on board, but "there are very few," he says.
"Cruising is freedom, we want the client to decide what to do," says the director of MSC Cruises. However, he explains that this situation changed during the pandemic, as there were many limitations and even "fear on the part of passengers."
"Tourists who wanted to visit a city in question had to take the ship's excursion obligatorily," he clarifies. "We called them bubble excursions, but since April 1 this measure is no longer in force."
MSC Virtuosa, the new cruise ship that will stop in Lanzarote
It should be noted that a new cruise ship of the company, MSC Virtuosa, will disembark in Lanzarote next Monday, May 9, a modern shipping company that has "all the technological innovations."
The decision to increase its stopovers with the island of fire is driven by the good figures they receive from British cruise passengers, "a tourist who greatly appreciates the Canary Islands," says Fernando.
"This cruise has been dedicated since last year to the British market and the result was so good that they even named it the best ship of the summer 2021," explains the director of MSC. "So we decided that it would leave and return to South Hampton, with stopovers in Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote."
For his part, the general manager explains that "it is one of the most environmentally friendly ships, until the MSC World Europa arrives in October, the most sustainable cruise ship in the world with liquefied gas."
He also adds that it is a vessel that is part of the Meraviglia series, as it has "unique characteristics that cannot be found in other fleets". A clear example of this is what he calls "the gallery", the largest interior street that exists, 100 meters long, with restaurants and shops, with a dome-shaped ceiling with 4K LED lights where shows are held.
"The Playa Blanca Port would be perfect for our new luxury company"
From the MSC company they do not rule out including Lanzarote in their future plans.
Specifically, the shipping group Mediterranean Shipping Company, to which MSC belongs, is immersed in the creation of six luxury ships that will be part of the Explora Journeys company.
With luxury suites and a much smaller capacity than the rest of the company's cruise ships, between 800 and 1,000 passengers, the first ship will depart in May 2023 and the rest will do so progressively until 2029.
"This company will look for ports that MSC Cruises cannot touch due to port infrastructure issues, because they are too large," explains Fernando. "If it is finally finished and goes ahead, the port of Playa Blanca would be perfect for this luxury company."
The general manager explains that the clients of these cruises are not only looking for a ship with luxury services and gastronomy, but they are looking for ports that they do not know yet. "It is a traveler who has already traveled, so Playa Blanca would be a good bet," he points out.
We have already had experiences in Lanzarote in autumn and winter of 2008, we had a ship doing Lanzarote and Lanzarote with 7 or 8 departures and the result was positive, the cabins were filled. It is a destination for the future.
Likewise, he affirms that in summer they will begin "to test" the Canary market again, with new departures from and to the Canary Islands, specifically with Tenerife. "Sooner rather than later we will go to Lanzarote, but I wouldn't know if for 2023 or 2024," explains the director of MSC Cruises.
"The port of Arrecife is one of the ports that we have in mind, because it has options, not only as a stopover, but as a port of embarkation," he adds. "It can be a destination that helps us attract British or Germans thanks to its international airport, since many can go to visit the island and then they could take our cruise."
