The future of tourism in an emerging economy: the reality of the cruise industry in Caribbean

Abstract

Purpose – In the face of newly industrialised nations, there is the tendency that there will be a shift or redirect of tourists from old tourism destinations to the newly industrialised ones. While there has been a consistent growth in cruising to the Caribbean, the question is whether the growth in cruise ship calls and increase in cruise passenger arrivals to the Caribbean translate into greater development for the region ' s stakeholders or whether this just creates increased profits for the cruise lines, and whether there will be a shift from the Caribbean to the newly industrialised nation in years to come. This paper seeks to address these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This research employed mixed methods approach to answer the research question. The nature of the question and data necessary to answer the question led to the choice of qualitative and quantitative techniques. Findings – The findings from this research will, hopefully, serve as a guide for Caribbean nations to develop a better strategy to cope with the cruise tourism industry; an approach based more along the lines of inter-island collaboration as opposed to competition. Research limitations/implications – Lack of ample data on cruise tourism in the Caribbean was one of the limitations of the study. Another drawback involved the high level of secrecy which surrounds the industry and the unwillingness of cruise lines and their associates to provide access to operational data, which they regard as confidential. Originality/value – The Caribbean, particularly Caribbean governments, will benefit from a greater understanding of the power relations among the cruise tourism stakeholder chain and the profile of costs and benefits associated with the industry. Over the years, the Caribbean has relied solely on the economic impact surveys produced by Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), both of whom represent the cruise lines, in order to make projections and development plans for the industry.

The development of cruise tourism in emerging destinations: Evidence from Salento, Italy

“…The idea that cruise tourism may contribute to a place's development divides not only public opinion but also the industrial and academic world (e.g. Brida et al., 2011; Dwyer and Forsyth, 1998; Lester and Weeden, 2004; Marsh, 2012; Parola et al., 2014; Pinnock, 2014). Much of the debate stems from how the cruise industry is structured.…”

“…(Butt, 2007; Caric, 2012; Lamers et al., 2015; Lester and Weeden, 2004; Sweeting and Wayne, 2006). Research also suggests that people living in port cities may develop negative attitudes toward cruise tourism as a result of these detrimental effects and other problems connected with the congestion of cruise port cities (Brida et al., 2011; Gui and Russo, 2011; Pinnock, 2014; Stefanidaki and Lekakou, 2014), e.g. the overcrowding of public spaces, littering, the risk of monuments and historic buildings being damaged during city tours, etc.…”

Impactos econômicos do turismo de cruzeiros: uma revisão de literatura

“…Na revisão da literatura foi possível verificar que todos os autores mencionam o crescimento do mercado de cruzeiros marítimos, não só no número de passageiros, mas também no tamanho dos navios de cruzeiros, que hoje ultrapassam a capacidade de 5.000 passageiros, como é o caso de alguns navios post-Panamax (Pinnock, 2014).…”

Assessing the direct economic value of cruise tourism in a port of call: The case of Funchal on the island of Madeira

“…An increase in cruise tourism expenditures will have a direct impact on the local economy (Pinnock, 2014). Therefore, it is of utmost relevance to estimate the total expenses carried out in a port of call, the type of products and service purchased, and the factors that may influence these purchases to help the destination managers to make better decisions and to design appropriate strategies to optimize the value generated by this industry for local economies.…”

“…However, nowadays the cruise industry is a highly concentrated industry (Rodrigue and Notteboom, 2013), not only regarding cruise companies but also geographically. According to Pinnock (2014: 127), “over 80 percent of the global industry market share is concentrated in the hands of just three cruise companies.” Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Carnival Cruise Lines, and Norwegian Cruise Lines are the largest cruise companies worldwide. The number of cruise passengers in Europe represents about 29% of the number of cruise passengers worldwide (Table 2).…”