MSC aiming to double UK and Ireland business by 2030

MSC Cruises is aiming to double its UK and Ireland business by 2030 as it looks to capitalise on its growing fleet.

Antonio Paradiso, vice-president for international sales, outlined the aim after the line confirmed an order for two additional World Class ships, due in 2030 and 2031, taking its total order book to six. It currently operates a fleet of 23 ships.

Paradiso hopes the extra capacity will enable the line to double the number of bookings from the UK and Ireland in the next five years.

More: MSC Cruises orders two additional World Class ships

“The UK is already in our top‑five markets globally and, with all of the capacity coming in worldwide, we see an opportunity to double our numbers in the short term,” he said.

He highlighted that most of the new ships under construction will sail in areas that are “successful for the UK”, such as the Mediterranean, northern Europe and Caribbean.

MSC’s World Class ships include World Europa and World America, with World Asia to launch in 2026 and World Atlantic in 2027, followed by four yet-to-be-named ships by 2031.

Paradiso said MSC Cruises would “continue to double down on the trade” and be “a trade-oriented company” to help fill the extra capacity and reach its target.

“We want to make sure we provide the best service and support to our partners,” he added.

He revealed the line’s summer 2027 programme launch in October had been “its best ever”, while sales for its Alaska seasons in 2026 and 2027 had been “performing even better than anticipated”.

“The launch of MSC Meraviglia for summer 2027 from the UK has been the best we have ever seen,” he said. “The new [longer] itineraries have been well received by trade partners and consumers.”

Paradiso reported the line had seen a longer booking curve, with “a strong trend” in August for bookings 18 months ahead for 2026 and beyond.

On other trends, he said the UK was the second-largest source market globally for MSC Yacht Club, the line’s luxury ‘ship-within-a-ship’ offering.

“We are seeing consistent trends for premium and luxury,” he said. 

“Every new ship will have a generous amount of space for Yacht Club – that is a focus for us.”