MSC Cruises is seeing strong demand for cruises in Brazil and Argentina, said Adrian Ursilli, general manager for Brazil.

Speaking at the 5th CLIA Brazil Forum, an industry gathering that took place in Brasília recently, he noted that the company adjusted its global deployment for 2024-25 to address the local demand.

“We have operated in Brazil for the past two seasons with five ships. We had planned to reduce this number for the upcoming season to address other global demands in this post-pandemic time,” he mentioned, referring especially to Asia.

“However, throughout the year, by evaluating each market and its characteristics, as well as the global economic and political situation, and especially the strong demand for cruises in Brazil and Argentina, we decided to reinstate our offering with five ships in the region,” he explained.

In July, MSC Cruises announced plans to bring the MSC Splendida to South America, joining five other ships that will operate in the region.

Originally scheduled to offer cruises out of China, the 3,300-guest ship will now offer seven-night itineraries between Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay starting in December.

The company’s South America season will also include the MSC Grandiosa, which became the largest ship in history to visit Brazil after debuting in the region in 2023-24.

The MSC Seaview, the MSC Orchestra and the MSC Armonia will also depart from Brazilian ports during the 2024-25 season, while the MSC Poesia will sail from Argentina and Uruguay to Brazil.

“Our first ship arrives in early November and will operate until the end of April,” Ursilli highlighted.

.”We had a record season in 2023-24, with over 500,000 guests boarding our ships, and we aim to exceed those numbers in the upcoming season,” he stated.