Abstract
ABSTRACTThe rapid growth of the global cruise ship industry in tourism has been evident in New Zealand in the southern hemisphere and Iceland in the northern hemisphere, where both countries have experienced a substantial increase in cruise ship arrivals at a growing number of ports. Although the two countries are geographically very far apart, they do share various similarities in their tourism. Within the framework of stakeholder theory and using an interpretivist, case-study methodology, the aim of this research is to explore similarities and differences in the issues facing stakeholders in on-land cruise services in New Zealand and Iceland, and to evaluate stakeholders’ levels of participation in decision-making in their respective cruise sectors. The population of Napier is 61 100, whereas Akureyri’s population is merely 18 500. However, both destinations receive similar numbers of cruise passengers, or around 100 000 in the 2016/2017 New Zealand season, 2017 Icelandic season. Findings provide general insights into on-land cruise services, and the co-existence of land-based tourism and cruise tourism in rural and urban areas. Furthermore, the overall research findings indicate that although the two destinations differ in their population, main attractions and geographical location, they seem not that far apart in the opportunities and challenges facing the local stakeholders and the decision-making processes of their cruise sectors.
Highlights
One of the world’s fastest growing tourism sectors is the cruise industry (United Nations World Tourism Organisation [UNWTO] & Asia-Pacific Tourism Exchange Centre [APTEC], 2016; MacNeill & Wozniak, 2018)
Iceland and New Zealand have experienced a growth in the number of cruise calls and passengers, as well as a rise in the number of ports being visited in both countries
For the purpose of this research, the relevant stakeholders were identified according to Hull and Milne (2010), who state that the successful receiving and servicing of cruise ships requires the participation of port authorities, municipal governments, shipping agencies, tour operators and local retail operators
Summary
One of the world’s fastest growing tourism sectors is the cruise industry (United Nations World Tourism Organisation [UNWTO] & Asia-Pacific Tourism Exchange Centre [APTEC], 2016; MacNeill & Wozniak, 2018). While Cruise New Zealand annually publishes an extensive “Summary Report” (Cruise New Zealand, n.d.) on the economic importance of the country’s cruise industry, the comparable Icelandic organisation, Cruise Iceland, provides merely the numbers of passengers embarking at Icelandic harbours in the last couple of years (Cruise Iceland, n.d.). What is evident is that in both countries the arrival and service of these cruise ships requires the involvement of numerous stakeholders. This research set out to explore the following question: In the context of stakeholder theory, how effectively do stakeholders in on-land cruise services cooperate and what is their role in decision-making processes in the sector?
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