Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) – which successfully concluded its inaugural season sailing from Cape Town yesterday (Thursday, January 26) on the Norwegian Jade – is seeing growing demand from the South African market for its cruises in Southern African waters.
“During her inaugural season in the region, Norwegian Jade welcomed the highest number of South African guests on any NCL cruise to date. After testing us locally, a growing number of guests opt for our long-haul cruises to bucket-list itineraries in Europe, Alaska or Asia,” said Kevin Bubolz, NCL VP and Managing Director Continental Europe, Middle East and Africa.
In fact, South Africans were the fifth-highest source market on the last Norwegian Jadesailing in local waters, with a 2,7% passenger representation on the 2 394-pax-capacity vessel. Americans (30,7%), followed by the UK (11,8%) and Canada were the top three source markets.
On December 21, 2022, Norwegian Jade became the first vessel in the line’s 18 ship fleet to homeport from Cape Town, offering international and local guests 12-day itineraries along the coast of South Africa and Namibia with an overnight stay in Cape Town and visits to Mossel Bay, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), Richards Bay, Lüderitz and Walvis Bay.
2024 itineraries launched
Following the success of its inaugural Cape Town sailings this year, NCL has announced the deployment of Norwegian Dawn to the Southern African and Indian Ocean region for the 2023/2024 cruise season.
Homeporting in Cape Town and Port Louis, Mauritius, the 2 340-passenger ship will offer a series of Extraordinary Journey voyages between January and March 2024.
“Mauritius has long been a popular holiday destination for South African travellers and Norwegian Dawn’s new itineraries provide the perfect opportunity to combine a land-based vacation in Mauritius with a cruise that visits some of the most sought-after destinations in the neighbourhood, including Réunion, Madagascar and Mozambique, all while unpacking only once,” said Bubolz.
According to him, these new itineraries are amongst NCL’s fastest-selling cruises for 2024.
“We are excited to offer our South African guests the opportunity to sail with NCL right from their doorstep and enjoy our unique ‘Freestyle Cruising’ philosophy without the need for long-haul travel and lengthy visa applications,” he said.
On January 20, 2024, Norwegian Dawn will sail a 12-day itinerary from Port Louis, Mauritius, calling at Pointe des Galets, Réunion; Fort Dauphin, Madagascar; Pomene and Maputo, Mozambique; Richards Bay, Gqeberha (PE), Mossel Bay and Cape Town.
On February 1 and March 8 she will complete 12-day roundtrip voyages through South Africa and Namibia, calling at Mossel Bay, Durban, Lüderitz and Walvis Bay before returning to Europe on March 20.
That cruise sports Norwegian Dawn’s most extensive itinerary, sailing from Cape Town to Barcelona. The 21-day voyage along Africa’s west coast will visit ports in Namibia, Angola, São Tomé and Principe, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Senegal, Cape Verde, Canary Islands and Morocco.
The value of cruising
Cruise liners bring an estimated R100 million in estimated passenger spend, per port visit, according to the City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, James Vos.
He adds: “For every 12 cruise tourists, one job is created.”
According to Future Market Insights, the global cruising market is set to be appraised at US$17,4 billion (R298bn) by 2032 - from the US$5,3bn (R91bn) recorded in 2022 - advancing at a compound average growth rate of 11,9% over the ten-year period.
