MSC Cruises' honoured for investment in SA tourism, shipping and logistics

Image: MSC Cruises

The KZN Investment Awards recognise local and international businesses that have displayed a commitment to economic growth and job creation in the province.

"MSC Cruises is honoured to be recognised by the KwaZulu-Natal government in this way," says Ross Volk, MD for MSC Cruises South Africa. "As a company, we are committed to seeing tourism flourish in this country, as we know it is a key component of job creation and economic prosperity for South Africa."

Boosting tourism numbers

An important element of a flourishing tourism sector for the KwaZulu-Natal province is the construction of the new Durban port terminal that MSC Cruises has been involved in. As part of the KwaZulu Cruise Terminal Consortium (KTC), MSC Cruises has invested over R200m in the project.

The multi-user, state-of-the-art terminal will substantially boost tourism numbers, create thousands of jobs and lead to supplier development.

It will be operational by January 2021.

MSC Cruises has seen a significant growth locally in cruising tourism over the past year, with a 25% increase in guest numbers over their most recent cruise season compared to the 2017/2018 season. "MSC Cruises has been bringing bigger and better ships to this country and enriching our itineraries as more South Africans are realising that a cruise is an affordable, convenient and exciting holiday option," explains Volk.

"This has knock-on benefits for the tourism sector for each of the cities we cruise to, particularly Durban, as most of our cruises depart from this port. These benefits are of course enhanced by increased passenger volumes."

This growth in the cruising sector has led MSC Cruises to decide to bring two ships to South Africa’s shores for the 2020/2021 cruise season, marking the first time that two MSC Cruises’ ships will be deployed in the country simultaneously. It will mean that one ship will be homeported in Durban for the entire season, and that an additional 50,000 cruise passengers can discover why cruising in South Africa is booming.

Empowering SA's economy

MSC Cruises is also committing to increasing job opportunities for South Africans. In partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry, the company will be opening its Shosholoza Ocean Academy in November 2019, which will provide free three-month training courses for young South Africans who qualify through MSC Cruises’ medical requirements.

Those who successfully complete the course will be eligible to be employed on MSC Cruises’ ships across the world. MSC Cruises plans to get 3 000 to 5 000 new placements from South Africa over the next five years, which will bring around R5bn in salaries back to South Africa.