MSC Cruises confirms Red Sea intentions, highlights Dubai as strongest winter base

MSC Cruises signalled plans to return to the Red Sea “as soon as” conditions permit, while underscoring Dubai’s position as its best-performing winter deployment, according to remarks made during the Connections Cruise Arabia forum.

The cruise line is already working with local authorities and destination partners on a pathway back to the Red Sea once safe transit is feasible, said Angelo Capurro, Executive Director of MSC Cruises. 

The company previously paused operations in the region due to security concerns affecting routes that require transit through the Suez Canal and Red Sea. 

Capurro, during a Connections Cruise Arabia industry panel, framed the Red Sea as a strategic area with “huge opportunity” that merits continued product development in collaboration with port stakeholders.

Despite the Red Sea uncertainty, Capurro emphasised that Dubai remains the linchpin of its Middle East programme and its top winter investment across the fleet, citing air access, on-the-ground logistics and established cruise infrastructure. 

“Dubai was our best-performing investment across all 23 ships last winter,” he said, in spite of the costly and time-consuming repositioning via South Africa.

Capurro pointed to Dubai’s connectivity and embarkation processes, described as “very easy to access”, as reasons the Gulf hub outperformed other seasonal deployments even amid network disruptions last winter. 

This was driven in large part by the appeal of 7-night Gulf cruises that minimise time-zone shifts for core European source markets and enable guests to enjoy an “international atmosphere” without long-haul complexity.

Looking ahead, MSC indicated it is working “closely” with regional partners to broaden itineraries once the Red Sea becomes viable again, noting earlier experiences combining destinations such as Aqaba (for Petra) and Egyptian ports when conditions allowed. 

Capurro also referenced the advantage of keeping ships in a region for longer periods, reducing repositioning days and supporting deeper destination development, as part of the company’s ongoing planning for the wider Middle East.

The comments were delivered in a panel that also touched on source-market growth and seasonality. Capurro suggested that greater local and regional demand, especially for short breaks, could help extend the Gulf season beyond the current winter window. 

“Even if the weather is not ideal, the ship itself becomes the attraction,” said Capurro. “Families and local guests are looking more for what the ship can offer than the destination. That demand gives us the opportunity to think about extending the Gulf season beyond the traditional winter months.”

The discussion additionally noted the importance of coordinated aviation support for fly-cruise traffic into Dubai, as well as continued collaboration with ports and tourism entities on shore-side operations, turnaround efficiencies and guest services.