By
Alex Smith |
MSC Cruises will focus on minimising the environmental impact of land-based tours and supporting activities that have a positive effect on nature during its summer 2022 season.
More electric and hybrid shuttle buses will be used for guests to travel from ports to places of interest in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Spain and Sweden. Around 150 bicycle tours will also be available in 21 countries.
MSC Cruises will also increase the number of sustainable ‘Protectours’, which the cruise line first introduced in 2020. Protectours feature walking, hiking, bicycling, canoeing and kayaking excursions onshore, as well as activities that directly contribute to preservation of the environment through the protection of habitation and species. The cruise line worked with tour operators during 2021 to provide them with responsible and sustainable tourism training, allowing Protectours to be made available in 20 ports at the start of this summer and up to 90 by the end of the season.
Examples of available Protectours include planting trees to replenish lost forests in the Greek island of Rhodes; collecting plastic waste from the beaches of the Adriatic Sea; nature walking tours in The Bahamas; making eco-friendly jewellery in Helsinki, Finland; urban farming and beekeeping in Rotterdam, Netherlands; organic rooftop farming in Copenhagen, Denmark; and stone cleaning in Scotland.
“Travel and tourism have a very significant role to play in global decarbonisation and we need to demonstrate leadership by ensuring that we meet the expectation of travellers who are more aware and engaged in sustainability matters and the protection and enhancement of the natural environment,” said Marialuisa Iaccarino, head of shore excursions at MSC Cruises. “At MSC Cruises we are determined to prove that the industry is a positive and engaged player in driving sustainable tourism.”
MSC Cruises’ summer 2022 shore excursion programme will total almost 1,400 tours, the cruise line’s largest offering to date. Northern Europe will host 640 different excursions, the Mediterranean 550 and the Caribbean 200.
The cruise line has also now waived its ‘safe bubble’ shore excursions it created as a result of the pandemic, allowing guests can make their own sightseeing arrangements subject to the regulations stipulated by local authorities.