MSC CEO Highlights Cruise Industry’s Scale, Jobs and Fuel Initiatives
Gianni Onorato said cruises remained a small share of global travel packages in 2025 as the sector expanded its use of dual-fuel ships.
MSC Cruises CEO Gianni Onorato said cruises accounted for less than 2% of travel packages sold worldwide in 2025. A report also estimated that cruise passengers represent about 3% of Barcelona’s daily visitors amid complaints about overtourism in the city.
According to the report, cruise itineraries are established two years before sailing, giving destinations time to prepare for arriving visitors. It said the cruise industry supports more than 445,000 permanent jobs across Europe.
Onorato also pointed to a 2023 four-day voyage by MSC Euribia between Le Havre and Copenhagen. He said the ship used biofuel and, together with measures designed to reduce fuel consumption, achieved what he described as a target of zero.
Cruise Lines International Association members operate 327 vessels, representing approximately 90% of worldwide cruise capacity, the report said. Thirty CLIA-member ships are equipped with dual-fuel engines, compared with one in 2018. That amounts to roughly one in every 11 vessels in the association’s member fleet.