InvestHK's John Rutherford (left) briefed by the managing director of MSC Cruises,  Kevin Schellack, on the company's cruise programmes offered in Asia

The Managing Director of MSC Cruises, Kevin Schellack, said that the company believes there is significant potential for their business within this region with Asia's rapidly growing economy.
 
"We have taken this significant step to develop these markets. We understand the importance of choosing the right location for our regional base. Given its strong advantages as a regional tourism and shipping hub, Hong Kong is the natural choice for us."

With an aim to diversify passenger portfolio for the company, the Hong Kong office will be responsible for promoting MSC's Fly Cruise programme in Asia, including Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea and other areas.

According to Mr Schellack, MSC Cruises will expand the Hong Kong office as the business grows, and hope to attract and recruit more Hong Kong-based cruise professionals to join the company.

MSC Cruises has a fleet of seven modern luxury vessels, providing Italian-style service to passengers. The fleet will grow to nine ships by 2007. MSC Cruises offers comprehensive itineraries in the Mediterranean Sea, Northern Europe, the Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean, South America and South Africa.

The Associate Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, John Rutherford, welcomed MSC Cruises to Hong Kong. He said, "Consumers in Asia are constantly looking for new tourism products and services, creating great business opportunities for companies like MSC Cruises. It is important that we attract these companies to set up their operations in Hong Kong, to enrich the versatility and depth of our tourism sector."

Established in 1988, Italy-based MSC Cruises is a division of Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), a privately owned Swiss company with a longstanding history headed by Captain Gianluigi Aponte. MSC ranks as one of the largest carriers in the world, in respect to number of vessels operated and container slot capacity.

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