MSC Cruises and Caissa Touristic Group are set to renew their agreement for the MSC Lirica, keeping the ship in the Chinese cruise market for an additional two years, through early 2020, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Caissa will continue to be responsible for passenger sourcing and the marketing of the ship in the Chinese market.

Caissa, a major Chinese travel agency, and MSC Cruises entered into a partnership in 2015 that saw Caissa take over the full sales and marketing responsibility of the China-based ship on a two year deal extending to April 2018.

Caissa claims to be the most comprehensive cruise product supplier in the Chinese market and previously told Cruise Industry News that it intends to source one out of every four Chinese cruise passengers.

In addition to its deal with MSC, the company also charters ships from other cruise lines in the market.

MSC will also expand its presence in China, with the Splendida arriving on a seasonal basis in 2018.