MSC Cruises is giving away 2,000 places for the christening of the 4,500-passenger MSC Bellissima in Southampton on 3 March 2019.

The incentive is to celebrate the launch of the cruise line’s new online training platform, MSC Masters, which goes live through MSC Book, the company’s booking system, on 20 August.

Agents can grab their spot by completing 11 modules in the MSC Masters’ training section, MSC Basics. The winners will be invited to Southampton to spend a night onboard MSC Bellissima during the christening celebrations for the ship, which take place from the 1–4 March 2019.

MSC Cruises director of sales UK & Ireland, Steve Williams, said: “MSC Cruises is the fastest growing cruise line in the market, and with new ships launching every year, and a constantly expanding and developing on-board product, it’s important to provide agents with a fun and interactive way of expanding their knowledge of our product.

“There are still many misconceptions that exist about our brand and this tool is one of many steps we are taking to improve knowledge and increase our brand awareness.”

The new online training platform will provide relevant information to travel agents about MSC Cruises. The programme also aims to broaden the company’s reach, generating interest from travel agencies who are not yet familiar with MSC Cruises.

The programme will cover new itineraries and experiences, as well as interactive modules, videos, and tutorials for MSC Book.

MSC’s UK & Ireland MD, Antonio Paradiso, explained: “As we prepare for the christening of MSC Bellissima, the largest ship ever to be named in Southampton next March, there has never been a more important time for us to increase engagement and learning around our product, and this is just one of many initiatives we will be revealing in the coming months ahead of the largest event ever held by MSC Cruises in the UK & Ireland.

“At MSC Cruises, we believe in showing agents our ships so they can become as passionate as we are. We are excited to be using this unique opportunity to host so many agents on board to experience first-hand one of our beautiful ships.”

A total of 1,000 cabins will be given away to provide 2,000 places, on a double occupancy basis.