MSC Cruises has extended its partnership deal with Chelsea FC for an extra three years, until June 2024.
According to a statement released by the Premier League club this morning, MSC Cruises has seen a year-on-year increase in brand awareness among the 2.6 million Chelsea FC fan base in the UK and Ireland.
At the start of the partnership, just 14 per cent of fans were familiar with the cruise line, growing to 85 per cent at the end of the first term of the partnership.
With the partnership extended, Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises, said: “The continuation of the partnership is further evidence of our commitment to the UK & Irish markets which are a key part of our global growth plan.
“Across the world we are working with key partners to support our journey. I am pleased to say that the Chelsea FC partnership will continue to be important in our goal to build further positive brand association as well as introduce our distinctive cruise experience to new audiences both in the UK & Ireland, and globally.”
Chelsea chief executive Guy Laurence added: “We are thrilled to extend our partnership at this exciting period for the travel industry. We have worked closely with MSC over the past three years to support them in their strategic business objectives and this extension is testament to the best-in-class activations we have delivered with them to meet and surpass those goals.”
“We now look forward to the next stage of our partnership, as we continue to use our global platforms in an innovative and unique manner to share MSC’s premium cruise experiences with our loyal fanbase.”
Antonio Paradiso, managing director of MSC Cruises UK & Ireland said: “We began this partnership in order to reach new audiences, and increase brand awareness and I’m happy to report that so far we have exceeded this objective. We’ve seen great success in terms of engagement and customer acquisition and have had feedback from passengers and travel agents about how this increased visibility has driven them to book a cruise with us.”
