Sinfonia's sales show SA still craves sea cruises despite tough times
October 14, 2009
By SAMANTHA ENSLIN-PAYNE
Tough times have failed to dent demand for cruise holidays among South Africans, according to Allan Foggitt, a director at Starlight Cruises, the country sales agent for the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC).
This was evident from a sharp rise in sales this year for the MSC-owned Sinfonia, which will operate out of Durban for the first time next month.
Foggitt said yesterday that there had been a far stronger booking trend this year, with sales 20 percent ahead of the combined sales last year for the MSC cruise ships Melody and Rhapsody.
Attracting the disposal income of South Africans who were harder up had been successful for several reasons. Foggitt said more people were now choosing to travel closer to home as a way to cut costs, and a cruise holiday was popular as it had an exotic appeal.
Five years ago South Africa's cruise season was five weeks long and it attracted about 25 000 people. Last year 70 000 people went on cruise holidays in a season that now extends from November to April.
The Sinfonia will, between November and April, sail between Durban and Mozambique, Mauritius, the Comores and Madagascar on cruises that range in length between two and 11 days.
To keep prices reasonable and yet make it viable to operate the ship profitably means it will be sailing almost continuously. With the exception of New Year and the Mauritius cruises, where the vessel docks for three nights, the ship never spends a night in port.
The turnaround time for the vessel when it arrives in port to when it leaves again for a new cruise is four hours, during which time more than 2 000 people disembark and another 2 000 board the ship.
Foggitt said more business had been attracted through a combination of strategies.
A cruise on the Sinfonia, starting at R800 a person a night with children under 18 travelling free, was "great value", he said.
The daily rate includes accommodation, three meals, two teas and entertainment. But it excludes drinks, gambling, spa visits and beauty treatments.
Cruise liners elsewhere in the world had cut prices to keep business, but Foggitt said besides offering discounts for early bookings the fare was the same as last year on average.
The growth in bookings had also been due to a focus on attracting conference bookings as the Sinfonia had a fully equipped conference and business centre.
The Sinfonia, which is a far more modern ship than those previously operated from South Africa, had also attracted a wealthier clientele.
Previously, the eight suites on the Melody were often not booked and there was concern that it would be difficult to fill the 135 suites on the Sinfonia. But Foggitt said the suites, which cost about R3 000 a person a day, had been heavily booked on every cruise.
The strong demand for the Sinfonia this summer meant that next summer the vessel would be back in South Africa for an extended season that would include May 2011.
MSC, which has a stable of 11 cruise ships mostly operating in the Mediterranean, recently launched the Splendida. By next year, with the launch of the Magnifica, the group expects to achieve its target of carrying 1.2 million guests a year.
|
|
