JOHANNESBURG: 30 September 2024 – Norwegian Cruise Line will return to southern African waters in November 2024 to begin a new cruise season, this time offering itineraries on two vessels: Norwegian Dawn and, on her South African maiden voyage, Norwegian Sky.
“NCL has numerous itineraries spanning 11 – 21 days to set sail between November 2024 and May 2025, with departures in either Cape Town, South Africa, or Port Louis, Mauritius,” said Kevin Bubolz, VP and Managing Director Continental Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
These itineraries are set to become popular amongst South Africans, particularly due to the absence of long-haul flights and the opportunity to travel more cost-effectively – seeing multiple destinations for the price of one.
“Travellers have the chance to explore more of southern Africa, combined with a beach holiday in Mauritius (which remains South Africans’ top international travel destination) once their cruise comes to an end. Alternatively, travellers can fly to Mauritius first and return home via one of our cruises, visiting Reunion, Madagascar, Mozambique, and other beautiful ports along the SA coast before disembarking in Cape Town.” Bubolz adds.
NCL’s expanded offerings are well-timed, coinciding with Cape Town’s increased focus on attracting and accommodating more cruise ships. According to Travis Stedman, Business Development Manager of Cruise Cape Town, the city has experienced significant growth in cruise tourism since 2022.
“The 2022-2023 cruise season saw 70 ships docking at the Cape Town Cruise Terminal, bringing in approximately 145,000 total passengers and 42,000 crew members. The 2023-2024 economic impact study results are to be released in the upcoming months,” said Stedman.
Cruise Cape Town’s vision for the future of tourism focuses on establishing the city and the broader Western Cape as a premier global cruise destination. The City of Cape Town aims to use its natural beauty, cultural heritage, and strategic location to attract more cruise liners.
“The ‘Cruise Cape Town’ initiative, led by Wesgro and other key stakeholders, is central to this vision, emphasising sustainable growth, economic development, and global competitiveness,” Stedman added.
Cruise Cape Town has set ambitious goals for increasing the number of cruise ship calls and passenger arrivals. These goals include growing the number of cruise visits, boosting the tourism economy, creating jobs, and increasing cruise tourism’s overall GDP contribution.
“Crucial action that needs to be taken to help us achieve these goals includes infrastructure development, streamlining immigration processes, and enhancing regional promotion efforts,” Stedman concluded.
Prospective cruise travellers can explore and book NCL’s African itineraries online via www.ncl.com.
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About Norwegian Cruise Line
As the innovator in global cruise travel, Norwegian Cruise Line has been breaking the boundaries of traditional cruising for 56 years. Most notably, the cruise line revolutionised the industry by offering guests the freedom and flexibility to design their ideal holiday on their preferred schedule with no assigned dining and entertainment times and no formal dress codes. Today, its fleet of 19 contemporary ships sail to 400 of the world’s most desirable destinations, including Great Stirrup Cay, the company’s private island in the Bahamas and its resort destination Harvest Caye in Belize. Norwegian Cruise Line not only provides superior guest service from land to sea, but also offers a wide variety of award-winning entertainment and dining options as well as a range of accommodations across the fleet, including solo-traveller staterooms, club balcony suites, spa-suites and The Haven by Norwegian®, the company’s ship-within-a-ship concept. For additional information or to book a cruise, contact a travel professional, call 021 200 6586 or visit www.ncl.com. For the latest news and exclusive content, visit the NCL Newsroom and follow Norwegian Cruise Line on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and YouTube @NorwegianCruiseLine; and Twitter @CruiseNorwegian.
Norwegian Cruise Line is a wholly owned subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH). To learn more, visit https://www.nclhltd.com/.
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Celine Patterson, Big Ambitions
