Cruise Tourism

In today’s fast changing world, technology is becoming a major player influencing all the sectors of economy. In the same sense, the field of hospitality and tourism has benefitted from a substantial improvement leading to an enhanced experience offered and even the creation of new trends that were made possible due to the technological advancement. Being a main sector in the tourism
market, cruising has also been improved and reached new dimensions.

Cruising as a form of tourism has been around since the 1840s. However, since the year 1980, the cruising industry has been having a growth in the average annual passenger rate equivalent to 7.4% each year. In the last ten years specifically, the demand for cruises has increased by 62%; in 2015, there were 23.19 million cruise passengers while in 2017, 25.3 million passengers are expected to cruise. Therefore, by 2016, the industry globally comprised of 448 ships and generated a total output of $117 Billion. () the growth of this industry is mainly due to the shift in the profile of cruisers where the average age has decreased from 65 years in the 1970s to 46 years in 2008 with a high rate of repeat customers that reached 85%. With consumer awareness and improved and innovative products and services that cruising companies offer, cruises recently target passengers of different ages and statuses, from families to honeymooners as well as junior and senior singles.  

MSC Cruises is one of the largest privately-owned cruise lines worldwide. The company is number one in Europe, South Africa and South America. Currently, its fleet consists of 14 ships belonging to five different classes offering different experiences to the passengers. The company plans on adding seven new ships to its fleet by the year 2022, including MSC Meraviglia and MSC Seaside which will be the focus of this paper with the new trends and innovations that they have to offer. In order to accommodate the growth in passenger rates and keep up with the innovations in this market, MSC cruises plans on doubling its capacity from 2016 to 2026 by introducing new ships with high-tech and smart options that could meet the needs of today’s customers and can anticipate the needs of future customers.

.Meraviglia

.Seaside

.Smart

Benefits

With the above explained services and options available on board MSC’s new ships, the cruise adds more advantages that help in satisfying customers’ needs. The navigation option offers ease of navigation around the ship and helps in finding options for dining, clubbing, lounging and many other activities that are available in board. With the kids’ locator, the ship and the whole cruising experience become more children-friendly, as parents can enjoy their stay knowing exactly where their kids are at any point in time. Organizer, Tailor-made, Concierge. With kids’ zones available on board for children of different ages, children can enjoy their stay and choose from the activities what makes them happiest. Parents of young babies can also enjoy their time during the cruise while safely leaving their babies in the playroom or baby club day care.