Operational and geographical dynamics of ports in the topology of cruise networks: The case of Mediterranean

Abstract

Geography is an integral part of the cruise industry since cruises are conducted in the geographical space and thus are submitted to spatial and geomorphological constraints. However, the cruise-literature lacks of research focusing on the geographical aspect of the interactions existing between ports and cruise companies. This paper attempts to fill this gap by examining the spatial networks of two contemporary cruise companies operating in the Mediterranean, using complex network analysis that has been extensively applied to other shipping sectors, such as to the container liner shipping, but not, in a comprehensive context, in the cruise industry. The complex network analysis applied in this paper provides insights about the operational and geographical dynamics of the ports participating in the Mediterranean cruise network, which can help the cruise companies and the port authorities to comprehend and to measure their competitive position in the network. The overall approach develops a novel classification of ports according to their integration in the cruise network, an optimized modularity segmentation of the Mediterranean market by considering both operational and geographical aspects of this network, and an in-depth efficiency comparison between the spatial networks of the cruise companies.