The cruise shorescape as contested tourism space: Evidence from the warm-water pleasure periphery

Abstract

Ocean cruising is an increasingly influential form of tourism generating each year tens of millions of excursionist visits to ports-of-call. This inductive multi-methods research presents the ideal type mature “cruise shorescape” that emerges in ports-of-call within warm water pleasure periphery regions such as the Caribbean where the sector is concentrated. Amalgamating and building on foundational studies of the tourist bubble effect and Caribbean urban tourism space, the shorescape innovates further by recognizing the role of the non-urban hinterland in the cruise system, incorporating semi-core and semi-periphery gradations to the basic core and periphery components, and positioning this space as an arena of stakeholder contestation. Specialized cruise spaces and nomenclature are introduced accordingly. Toward maximizing the beneficial outcomes for local port communities, the cruise shorescape contributes to the literature by providing a framework for investigating more systematically the localized economic impacts and spatial dynamics of destination-based cruise activity.