Cruise Industry Research Articles

The influence of the onboard servicescape on cruisers’ experiential state, delight and memorability

PurposeThis study aims to examine the effects of the servicescape on experiential state, delight and memorability in the context of the cruise experience. This study also analyzes the moderating effects of sociodemographic characteristics (income and place of residency) and prior travel experience.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the Stimulus-Organism-Response theory, structural equation modeling via partial least squares path modeling was applied to a sample of 415 cruisers. A multi-group analysis was used to test the moderating effects.FindingsStudy results confirm the predictive role of the servicescape in creating experience, delight and memorability, with a place of residence, past travel experience and income exerting moderating effects on the aforementioned relationships.Practical implicationsThe results offer useful insights for managers who operate not only in the cruise industry but also in other service contexts. Moreover, the moderating effects offer novel insights into smarter marketing on the part of service companies oriented toward value co-creation.Originality/valueOnly a few recent studies have focused on the servicescape in the context of the cruise industry. This study contributes to the literature by providing a theoretical framework and empirical evidence for analyzing the role of the onboard servicescape in cruisers’ experience, delight and memorability while also considering the moderating effects that of sociodemographic and travel-related characteristics exert on the different paths.

COVID-19’s impact on the perceived risk of ocean cruising: A best-worst scaling study of Australian consumers

This paper investigates aspects of cruising of most concern to Australian consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic, following the shutdown of cruising globally. Using a mixed-method approach, the study asked cruisers and non-cruisers which of the risks associated with cruising were of most concern. The study found health was the most concerning risk for respondents, regardless of cruising history and, contrary to previous research, cruisers were more concerned about health risk than non-cruisers. Results indicated cruisers were also concerned about financial risk, while safety and psychological risk were the next most concerning aspects for non-cruisers. Implications for the cruise industry are discussed and areas for further research are identified. Findings suggest the industry cannot take for granted repeat cruisers’ return post-pandemic. As non-cruisers are much less positive and less willing to cruise than before COVID-19, the continued future growth of the cruise sector is also under threat.

Chinese Cruisers’ Preference, Travel Constraints, and Behavioural Intention: Experience from the Arctic Cruise Market

Global climate change accelerates ice melting in the Arctic region, making Arctic shipping possible and revealing a new door to develop cruise tourism. The rapid expansion of cruise tourism into the Arctic region has posed substantial implications for the cruise industry, including opportunities and challenges. This study investigates the Chinese cruise industry and the encounters and obstacles that have unfolded in the Arctic cruise market. The study also explores the Chinese cruisers’ travel constraints, preferences, and behavioral intention to the Arctic region. The implications of the findings are drawn to develop the entire Arctic cruise market. This study also provides invaluable insight into the cruise industry’s adaptation strategies and practices and relevant supporting business sectors.

Real-world experience on cruise ships in the Canary Islands highlights that safe travel is possible.

COVID-19 pandemic has a severe impact on cruise industry. Effective response to COVID-19 cases on board requires coordination between ships, port and public health authorities. We report substantial experience in Canary Islands, the European region with highest number of passengers and crew mobilized on cruises during pandemic pre- Delta/Omicron era.

Post COVID-19: Health crisis management for the cruise industry

The cruise industry is gravely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to rising public health concerns. This study combines and examines health crisis management and marketing theories to address public health concerns and improve the usage of cruise services. Combining social exchange theory, customers' perceived value theory, and trust theory, a theoretical model is proposed. Survey data (n = 376) are then collected through an online survey that is conducted on the Chinese tourism market. The finding shows that quality management, health management, social and communication strategies, and financial strategies contribute to customers' perceived value of cruise service. In addition, perceived value directly and indirectly influences customers' intention to use cruise service through trust in cruise company's pandemic management capability. This study expands the current literature on cruise crisis recovery and provides recommendations for policy and strategy formulation for the cruise industry to cope with the pandemic by focusing on public health concerns and psychology.

Seasonality of cruise ship activity in neighboring regions

The continuous growth of the cruise industry has brought with it a series of threats. Among them is the management of the seasonality of cruise activity in order to address its negative effects. This study examines the monthly cruise passenger movement distribution among a group of harbors located in the northeast sector of the Atlantic Ocean and the Baltic Sea with the aim of determining the existence of seasonality patterns in cruise traffic and their relationship between different regions. A database of cruise passenger movements during the period from 2007 to 2019 among 24 harbors forms the backbone of the empirical analysis. First, the seasonal variation index of each harbor was calculated to determine the seasonality pattern. Second, a cluster analysis was performed to classify harbors into clusters with analogous seasonality patterns. The results reveal that seasonality of cruise activity in a consolidated region is explained by own factors of the region, but also by an induced seasonality imported from neighboring cruise regions.

Специфіка туристичної діяльності морських круїзів і локалізація їхньої економічної активності

Abstract. Modern cruise tourism is becoming the most promising type of tourism due to the independence of the season and customer orientation with a high level of income. Therefore, as the economic environment develops, the need to develop cruise tourism in the world becomes an important task for the state and in particular for all enterprises, which thanks to it gain an advantage in the competition for the customer. A cruise is not only the organization of sea and river voyages with visits to port cities of several countries, but also within one. Cruise tourism is characterized by a skillful combination of diverse consumer needs, which is very important in a competitive market. Methods. The aim of the article is to substantiate the theoretical, methodological and practical aspects of cruise tourism, study its state, reveal its role in ensuring sustainable development and provide practical recommendations for further growth of the potential of the cruise industry. Results. The achievement of this goal was achieved by solving the following tasks: identified the nature, prerequisites and factors of cruise tourism and the global cruise industry; outlined and highlighted the specifics, competitive advantages of tourism cruises, their place in the overall turnover of the tourism business. Trends in the development of cruise tourism and the localization of economic activity of sea cruises are studied and the priorities and potential opportunities for the development of cruise tourism in Ukraine are also assessed. Scientific novelty. An important component of cruise tourism is the regulation of the state and international cruise tourism organizations. The state has a direct influence on the development of cruise tourism. Practical significance. The objects of state regulation in the field of maritime tourism are the waters of the sea and coastal areas, in relation to coastal areas, the object of state regulation is the tourist infrastructure within the coastal areas. Given the specifics of tourism and the localization of economic activity of sea cruises and the fact that this sector of the economy covers almost all sectors of the economy and stimulates their development, it is important to determine the competitive advantages that shape the country's potential in the cruise industry. The article highlighted the most important factors of economic growth of both industries and enterprises involved in the cruise industry and the country as a whole, and identified competitive advantages in the cruise business of Ukraine. Key words: recreation; tourism; cruise, cruise tourism, cruise industry, cruise countries, sustainable development of cruise tourism, localization of economic activity of sea cruises competitive advantages.

COVID-19 Pandemic Impact on Maritime Cruise Industry

Over the past 15 years, sea cruising has been one of the most sought after and profitable trips in the tourism industry, but the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 has made a difference. This topic is relevant, as identifying the key areas for sea cruise recovery and how to implement them in the face of a new coronavirus infection is a major prospect for the development of the field. There is a need to understand how the cruise industry can avert a large-scale crisis and over what period of time this can happen. This article has identified the main reasons for the collapse of the sea cruise industry in the face of a new coronavirus infection. It also analysed statistics on passenger traffic, cash turnover and financial results of the world’s five largest cruise companies, comparing their main characteristics. The article identified the main precautions that have been taken on cruise ships to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 after the reopening of cruise companies in mid-2021. The prospects for resumption of sea cruises and the negative factors that reduce their attractiveness, based on the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, were also considered.

#CoronavirusCruise: Impact and implications of the COVID-19 outbreaks on the perception of cruise tourism

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the Diamond Princess became the center of the largest outbreak outside the original epicenter in China. This outbreak which left 712 passengers infected and 14 dead, followed by subsequent outbreaks affecting over one-third of the active ships in the cruise industry's global fleet, quickly became a crisis that captured public attention and dominated mainstream news and social media. This study investigates the perception of cruising during these outbreaks by analyzing the tweets on cruising using Natural Language Processing (NLP). The findings show a prevalent negative sentiment in most of the analyzed tweets, while the criticisms directed at the cruise industry were based on perceptions and stereotypes of the industry before the pandemic. The study provides insight into the concerns raised in these conversations and highlights the need for new business models outside the pre-pandemic mass-market model and to genuinely make cruising more environmentally friendly.

Development and Operation of the Dalian Cruise Port in China

China's cruise industry has developed rapidly in the past ten years, and China's cruise port construction has flourished. A total of 20 cities along the coast of mainland China have built or planned to build cruise terminals. According to WTO estimates, China will gradually become the world's largest source country of cruise passengers and cruise travel consumers in the future. Due to different national conditions, the business model and development prospects of Chinese cruise ports are different from those of foreign ports. It requires finding the pioneers of domestic cruise ports to take the lead, providing advice on the development and operation of cruise ports. Dalian Cruise Port is actively formulating its cruise industry development plan, expanding the cruise port, and improving the supporting facilities in the cruise port area. Based on the characteristics of the operation of the Dalian cruise port, we use the gray model to make a vague prediction of the future development of the cruise port. It reflects the advanced operation mode of Dalian Port. This research systematically analyzed cruise port operations and maritime cruise transportation. Because the cruise port's business model and prospects are essential to the cruise port industry, China's cruise ports must learn more advanced operating models.

Research and Forecasting of Changes in Baltic Sea Ferry and Cruise Routes

In view of the global recession in the sphere of cruise transportation due to Covid-19, it is necessary to develop new models and methods of route network planning in order to reach the pre-crisis levels promptly. In the article the analysis of the world state of the cruise industry is given, the result of the analysis of the Baltic Sea routes is given. New models in the form of graphs of the organization of sea ferry and cruise networks are considered in the article and changes in them under the influence of external environment are determined. The received models of the organization of sea transport networks have been included into the digital transport model and investigated as applied to the chosen sea passenger port. Based on the developed route models, it is possible to develop an effective decision-making system for forecasting in the sea ferry and cruise transportation market.

Analysis on the Strategies to Improve the Employment Rate of International Cruise Crew Management Majors in Higher Vocational institute in China——Take Jiangsu Maritime Institute as Example

In recent years, with the rapid development of the cruise industry, China, as a promising emerging market, international cruise tourism market has paid more attention to the development of Chinese cruise tourism market. At the same time, the demand for cruise service and management personnel is increasing, and the proportion and demand of Chinese crew members recruited by major cruise companies are increasing. In the fierce market competition, a series of problems have arisen, such as how to increase the counterpart employment rate of cruise crew members and change the current low counterpart employment rate. This paper conducts a more in-depth study on how to improve the counterpart employment rate of international cruise crew management students in higher vocational institute, and proposes solutions for the problem. It is hoped that the implementation of the countermeasures can help our Institute to improve the counterpart employment rate.

Forecasting the New Trends about the Consumer Behavior in the Cruise Industry Post COVID-19

This paper presented the new sanitary and health protocols implemented by cruise companies in order to internationally resuming the industry. The perception of Brazilians regarding these new protocols was identified through a quantitative survey with a sample of 412 Brazilian respondents, carried out between May and June 2021. As main results, sanitary and health protocols that do not affect their experiences on board were identified, as well as those protocols that compromised the experience perceived by the future traveler. The respondents’ propensity to travel on cruise ships and their perceptions about the influence of the ship size, the number of ports of call, nationalities on board, the number of guests, among other aspects, were also analyzed. Finally, in the final section of this paper, we presented an estimation of the expected number of cruisers for the 21/22 cruising season in Brazil, based on a kind Bayesian argument, considering different scenarios for the forthcoming season.

Structural and Logical Model of Transport Maritime Functioning Based on Modeling Information Technology

The article presents the sectoral structure of cruise (maritime) tourism and identifies the factors influencing the level of demand and supply of cruise tourism products. The sources of the influence of the cruise industry on the economic growth of the state and the welfare of its citizens are also considered. On the basis of specific features of cruise tourism functioning and the peculiarities of creating a cruise tourism product, a model of the functioning of a cruise (maritime) tourism complex has been built. Representation of the relationship of tourist needs according to the hierarchy of needs and a species classification of cruise tourism and the industries involved in its development is also given. The model of indicators and the structural components described are built in an environment of geoinformation modeling.

Key Factors Driving the Demand for Cruising and Challenges Facing the Cruise Industry in the Future

Cruises were the fastest growing sector in the travel industry. The rapid growth in demand was created originally by demand from North America, more recently Europe, and finally the rest of the world, China and Australia in particular. One of the main reasons for the rapid development and growth in popularity of cruises is that the cruise lines were successfully adapting to new travel trends delivering cruise ships with facilities and experiences tailored to the needs of travellers from all market segments. The corona crisis hit the cruise industry heavily and disrupted all plans, schedules and forecasts. This paper aims to analyze which factors were driving the demand for cruising on the world's leading source markets and the challenges facing the industry in a post-pandemic world. The findings show that the rapid growth in demand of cruise tourism was due to several factors, including the long-term growth in consumers’ disposable income, the adaptation of products to the requirements of new source markets and different market segments, more cruise capacity in new regions, and the development of national cruise brands.

Customer perceptions of COVID-19 countermeasures on passenger ships during the pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic devastated substantial portions of the tourism industry; the cruise industry particularly suffered from negative publicity as the virus spread rapidly on cruise ships. The pandemic is a disaster that the industry has been forced to adapt to. This study illustrates, through a mixed-methods research design, what factors cruiseferry operators considered in their responses to the pandemic, whether the implemented countermeasures increased their customers’ sense of security, and what countermeasures customers would agree to follow before boarding a ship. The study thereby provides insights into which countermeasures are likely to decrease customers’ perceived health risks and which they are ready to accept or not on cruises during pandemics.

Cruisers' intention of returning to European destinations: A regression analysis

AbstractRepeat visitation is regarded as a desirable phenomenon in destination marketing. This topic takes on a particular interest in cruise tourism, where the first visit may depend on the cruise itinerary. This paper investigates cruise passengers' intention to revisit European destinations. It is based on the results of a wider study conducted by the Costa Group, Deloitte, and the Universities of Genoa and Hamburg, which assesses the direct, indirect, and induced impact of the Costa Group and its supply chain in Europe. In this study, we developed an online questionnaire survey for guests who had cruised with Costa and AIDA ships in 2018 to 12 ports in six European countries. This paper focuses on the results of the questionnaire delivered to Costa cruisers (21,985 responders) to investigate their intention to return. We adopted a logistic regression and found that the probability of cruisers returning depends positively on factors such as the geographic area of residence, visit duration, and expenditure ashore. Our research suggests that cruises are drivers for land‐based tourism and fuel a desire among cruisers to revisit destinations. Finally, we present management recommendations for policymakers and destinations managers to develop win–win territorial marketing strategies with cruise industry.

Geographic Factors for Managing Cruise Ship Destination Port to Attraction Passenger Transfer in the Caribbean Region

Abstract. The Cruise Line industry (CLI) is working on plans to recover from the economic impacts of COVID-19. Along with the expected benefits of a post COVID19 surge in cruise tourism, destination ports have an opportunity to mitigate potential impacts that come with the tourist economy. In this study, we expand on our previous work on four CLI destination sites (two in the Caribbean and two meso-American) to a larger regional study area in the Caribbean Sea and investigate the sustainability of destination marine infrastructure and near port transportation resilience. Twenty- Eight destinations were analyzed in the study. All the CLI destinations ports in the study are considered mature for cruise tourism and have tourist attractions of interest (including historic, natural, shopping, and other areas with sociocultural authenticity), which can be reached during a one day ship visit. An analysis of the marine traffic and geographic settings provides a more complete picture on key parameters that can potentially impact the commerce and livelihoods of local communities near destination ports. The results of the study also provide potential solutions for mitigating these impacts. As a baseline for fully operational cruise industry in the Caribbean Sea, the 2019 cruise year was analyzed since it was the last full year without impact from COVID-19. This paper offers a wider empirical view of CLI impacts on the Caribbean region once the industry resumes to full capacity following the COVID-19 pandemic, and it presents results and recommendations to build a framework for continued study of CLI sustainability.

Has COVID-19 had an impact on prices? The case of the cruise industry

One of the previously unknown and unexpected impact of COVID-19 is its effect on prices. The aim of this research is to estimate how prices in the cruise industry have changed since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic. To carry out this research the authors created an extensive database of prices from February 2019 to March 2021, which were collected from a leading Spanish online travel agency (OTA). Methodologically, this research uses descriptive and hedonic analyses. The main conclusion is that cruise prices have reduced, on average, by 4.3%, although there are relevant differences between cruise companies, zone of departure, size, antiquity and rating of the ships, and the number of days between the date of capture and the date of cruise departure. Finally, several managerial implications are suggested from the results of this study.

The Relationship between Crowding and Perceived Health Risk in the COVID-19 Era

The current COVID-19 pandemic, and the related social distancing policies adopted in many countries, are deeply affecting consumers’ perceptions towards crowding. This study tries to understand in particular if the perceived human and spatial crowding might increase consumers’ health risk, with an impact on intentions to buy, and if corporate reputation can reduce such impact. As tourism and hospitality is one the sectors most susceptible to the current COVID-19 health crisis, we focus our empirical study on the cruise industry. The empirical study was conducted on a sample of cruise passengers using a structured questionnaire submitted online. Overall, 447 individuals’ responses were used for understanding such relationships by performing a regression model. The results indicate that both human and spatial crowding seem to influence people’s perceived health risk, while corporate reputation does not seem to reduce such deterring impact. The study presents several managerial implications for different service industries, as in the cruise package the customer can find many different services, from restaurant to shopping. The results, in fact, may be useful for better understanding how to cope with COVID-19.