ITTN’s Katie Doyle was delighted to join a wonderful press evening in Dublin’s Bang Restaurant last night with MSC Cruises ahead of their headline sponsorship of the ITAA’s Irish Travel Industry Awards taking place this evening.
Antonio Paradiso, Vice President of MSC’s International Sales, led the evening with Samantha Cuthbert, PR Manager, Suzanne Rowe, Head of Sales Ireland and Megan McClusky, Senior PR Executive at MSC.
In a video message to the travel trade in Ireland that can be seen here (https://www.instagram.com/p/DTybhRQjMF3/), Antonio wanted to say a huge thank you to the industry as MSC celebrate a record-breaking wave season with sales up 35% increase year-on-year in the market!
Mr Paradiso went on, later in the evening, to show key figures coming out of January sales. The expanded flight programme is certainly driving demand as just last week they unveiled their expanded Fly and Cruise packages for 2026, developed in partnership with Aer Lingus.
For Summer 2026, MSC Cruises will offer its largest-ever number of Fly and Cruise seats from Ireland, with a significant 20% increase compared to 2025, making it easier than ever for Irish guests to explore the Mediterranean in style and comfort. Guests flying from Dublin can choose from a wide range of Mediterranean sailings aboard MSC Meraviglia, MSC World Europa, MSC Grandiosa, MSC Seaview, MSC Splendida, MSC Divina and MSC Lirica, offering itineraries designed for families, couples, and adventure seekers alike.
Other key facts have seen the family market continue to grow while their Yacht Club- MSC’s exclusive area of refined indulgence where guests can enjoy unparalleled comfort and personalised service- is seeing an uptick in popularity. The Mediterranean remains the top choice for Irish cruisers and winter sun demand continues to rise. On the topic Paradiso, who spoke to ITTN last week says: “Demand from our Irish guests for Mediterranean sailings continues to grow rapidly, with bookings up over 12% year-on-year. Thanks to our strengthened partnership with Aer Lingus, we now offer more direct flights than ever from Ireland, giving our guests a seamless Fly and Cruise experience from start to finish.”
MSC also delved deeper into some exciting campaigns they’ve been focused on in the past month like their “Sunbrella” campaign: umbrellas fitted with SAD (seasonal affective disorder) lamps which the sales team has taken around the UK to bring agents “a much-needed boost of winter sun” during peaks. The campaign idea came from a survey commissioned by MSC Cruises before Christmas which found 78% of respondents said winter had “a negative impact on their wellbeing” and 56% were “craving sunshine”. MSC’s recent television advert “planned- unplanned” shows the ‘planned’ experience onboard their ships with cabins, dining, excursions and entertainment designed to give customers a wonderful experience so that they can enjoy the memorable, personal and ‘unplanned’ joy that comes with an MSC holiday.
Suzanne Rowe spoke to MSC’s dedicated travel agent resources and rewards with their new ‘Spin and Win’ incentive which allows agents to enter their booking number into the website to receive great prizes like goody bags, cinema vouchers, pizza vouchers, luxury hampers, and many more amazing treats. Plus, for every MSC Yacht Club booking, agents will receive an afternoon tea gift hamper!
Just yesterday evening, MSC also unveiled some exciting news to travel media with the announcement of their first-ever year-round Southern Caribbean itinerary, launching from a brand-new homeport in La Romana, Dominican Republic from November 2026. Revealed at FITUR in Madrid, the long-term commitment will see MSC Opera sailing weekly seven- and 14-night itineraries, including standout calls to Catalina Island, Martinique, Antigua & Barbuda, Virgin Gorda and more. It marks a major milestone for MSC Cruises and is expected to bring 120,000 international visitors to La Romana annually.
Press enjoyed hearing about all this exciting news last night in the newly revamped Bang restaurant, which just opened under new ownership under Kicky’s restaurant duo Chef Eric Matthews and front-of-house expert Richie Barrett, with a new Iberian-Peninsula theme. Guests enjoyed a family-style sharing menu with jamon and Manchego croquettes, Iberico Salchichon, tortilla, stuffed squid and morcilla- and that was just the starters! For mains, guests enjoyed Hannan 40-day aged mighty striploin, ring farm piri-piri chicken and whole monkfish with burnt basque cheescake and Creme Catalana for dessert!
As the travel trade warm up for the ITAA’s Irish Travel Industry Awards this evening, taking place in the Mansion House, we’ll be hearing a lot more from MSC as they celebrate their headline sponsorship for the fifth consecutive year. Antonio, Suzanne and the rest of the MSC team look forward to thanking agents personally tonight!
