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MSC Cruises to base first ship in China
MSC Cruises is to base a ship in China for the first time after entering into a partnership with Chinese outbound travel group Caissa Touristic Group.
The 2,600 passenger MSC Lirica will home port in Shanghai from May 2016 following a 60-day round the world Grand Voyage, which leaves from Rio de Janeiro in Brazil on March 3.
MSC will become the fourth international cruise brand to market cruises to the Chinese.
MSC Lirica will undergo a €200 million overhaul for the Chinese market, which will include enlarging the ship.
The cruiseline’s CEO Gianni Onorato said: "MSC Cruises has been present in China since 2010, successfully bringing Chinese guests to cruise on its ultra-modern fleet to its many global destinations and, especially, to Europe and the Mediterranean, where our distinctive product made us the number one cruiseline across the entire Continent.
"We are now delighted and excited that through thispartnership we are taking our presence in China to the next level.
"The soon-to-be completely renovated MSC Lirica, as part of MSC Cruises’ ground-breaking Renaissance programme, will feature many distinctive traits – including some industry firsts in service – especially designed for the cruising enjoyment of Chinese consumers. This will make it a much sought-after choice for cruises in the region."
President of Caissa Chen Xiaobing added: "MSC Cruises’ distinctive European flavour resonates well with Caissa Touristic’s brand spirit, as it also originates from Europe.
"This partnership stands out from other traditional agreements between China-based tour agencies and cruise lines by the emphasis that will be placed on the training of the entire on-board staff to ensure that guests receive MSC Cruises’ best-in-class experience and service as well as the degree of the adaptation of the ship’s hardware and software (like facilities renovation, service design and operation, on-board commodities and more) to fit the customs and tastes of the Chinese guests that it is designed to serve.
"We are convinced that the newly-renovated MSC Lirica will bring exciting new holiday-making choices to Chinese guests and are looking forward to welcoming numerous would-be cruisers aboard, at a time when the cruise market in the country for this particular type of product is thriving."
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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