Cruise Tourism: The Bigger the Better?

Abstract:

 This paper discusses the arguments for and against whether the cruise industry and mainly cruise liners are better when they are bigger, discussing the positives and negatives of these developments. Furthermore, it examines the future of the mass tourism cruise industry.

Keywords:
 cruise industry, developments, future, mass cruise liners

Discussion Paper:

 Cruise Tourism: The Bigger the Better?
The cruise industry is an ever growing field as it is constantly developing and changing its product to meet the needs of its changing customers. Cruise tourism is the fastest growing segment of leisure tourism, increasing 7.2% annually since 1990, doubling every decade (Cruise Lines International Association) [CLIA], 2010). Being in a competitive industry the largest companies like Carnival and Royal Caribbean are constantly trying to outdo each other with larger, faster ships, exotic locations and routes, celebrity chefs and entertainment and new and exciting facilities and excursions that other ships do not have.

The modern cruise industry emerged in the late 1960s and soon developed into a mass market using large vessels and adding more revenue-generating passenger services on-board (Rodrigue and Notteboom, 2013). For example, the latest development in the cruise industry is the largest ship in the world, Oasis of the Seas. According to The Daily Mail (2010) the Oasis of the Seas can accommodate up to 6,296 passengers and 2,296 crew members, it boasts a theatre, a wave simulator, a shopping mall, even an ice rink and its own version of New York's central park; an extremely impressive, extremely expensive floating resort. The trend towards ever-larger vessels with more and more facilities has meant that cruise ships have in fact evolved from floating hotels into floating resorts (Kester, 2002). The question, so are they safe, comes to mind. Surely a cruise liner of that size cannot be safe, surely it must be too heavy. However, the French Association of Cruise Companies (AFCC) has recently stated that the size of modern ships has no impact on its safety (Tourism Review, 2012).

Like each segment in the tourism industry, the cruise industry has both its positives and negatives, so lets start on the good side of big cruise ships and start off with the positives. Huge cruise ships like Oasis of the Seas can cater for a large number of people all with different wants and needs, so the bigger the better when it comes to facilities as this could lead to attracting more travellers and essentially non-cruisers. These thousands of people onboard these mass cruises stop at different ports of call across the world where they spend money on food, drink, souvenirs, attractions and gifts, ultimately boosting the economy for the area. If these ports and surrounding areas are catering for thousands of people each month, this creates jobs for locals as they need to be able to accommodate for these travellers easily. As you can see there are many positive effects to the developments of large cruise ships and a bigger cruise industry, however with the positives, comes the negatives.

The main negative impact that the cruise industry causes is damage to the environment. Waste and sewage from the cruise ships are poured into pristine waters around the world much too close to the coast causing an irresponsible image, neglect to natural marine habitats and dangerous chemicals in the ocean causing poor water quality. A greener image is needed aswell as eco-friendly cruise ships especially if they are planning on getting much bigger, could this be a potential future development for the cruise industry?
A growing concern of the authors is that if a cruise ship is branded a floating city, does it not take away from the personal experience that a cruise should bring? Those finishing touches that you cannot buy are what makes a cruise special, for example if the waiter remembers your name, its more personal and special to you, whereas on the Oasis of the Seas how can a waiter be expected to remember 5000+ names, ultimately losing that special experience that you might get on a smaller ship. Travellers often view cruises as special trips, and as such they take substantial time to plan them (FCCA, 2012).

Are bigger ships what cruise passengers want? Surveys of satisfaction are high, according to the body's main trade group, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), and perhaps more importantly, cruise passenger numbers keep going up (Report Linker, 2011). If passengers are happy and there is a demand for bigger better cruise ships then there will always be a market for it and they will keep developing. The future of the cruise industry raises the question: How big is too big when it comes to cruises as there doesn't seem to be a limit. For the cruise industry, the future seems bright, doesn't it?

References:
Cruise Lines International Association (2010). Cruise Market Overview 2010. Available at: http://www.cruising.org [Accessed: 29th April 2013].
Kester, J. (2002) Cruise Tourism. Tourism Economics, 9 (3), p.337-350. Available at: http://www.swetswise.com.ezproxy.wlv.ac.uk/FullTextProxy [Accessed: 29th April 2013].
Rodrigue, J. and Notteboom, T. (2013) The geography of cruises: Itineraries, not destinations. Applied Geography, 38 p.31-42. Available at: http://wk6kg9sd8m.search.serialssolutions.com/ [Accessed: 30th April 2013].

The author has chosen an interesting question on looking at the positive and negative effects of the cruise ship industry. As this type of tourism is seen as a niche market for tourism and targets a specific audience the title of the paper is implying and in my opinion that the cruise ship industry is or eventually will move on to be something of mass tourism. Discussing whether the cruises industry is better bigger does not give the industry the slight edge it already has being a variety as a niche type of tourism.
As stated that the cruise ship industry had not been around for a long time (since 1960) it already has developed within the market. The author has not identified the popular target market the cruise industry goes for, although while listing the facilities that are a strong influence to why people take cruise holidays and how the industry has created revenue.
There are more 'positive' impacts that have been said about how the development of the cruise industry has become like 'floating resorts' compared to the 'negative' impacts which were more concerned with the environmental issues then issues concerned with the number of people who take part in these holidays. The author did present that the cruise industry over the years has developed and can be compared too other tourism markets in mass tourism.
The author has noted the negative impacts that are mainly concerned with the environment and not how the cruise industry has many competitors with cruise ships and the fact cruise liners are becoming very similar and of course competing against the mass type of tourism which is airlines. Other negative impacts that cruise tourism can bring are to the visiting destinations and the amount of tourists and the availability of ports but this can also be seen as a positive impact on to the economic growth of the destination. (Brida and Aguirre, 2008).
If the cruise industry is to getting bigger and if it could be better at a larger size, the author wrote that the numbers of cruise passengers are going up, could this be the reason why the cruise industry needs to get out of the niche target market and break into the mass tourism market and compete on different levels of tourism. It can also be for the fact that recently more people want to experience a different form of tourism and the cruises industry is the best opportunities to grasp this target market. An assessment of tourist satisfaction could help the cruise industry adjust their efforts on enhancing visitors' travel experiences, shaping the quality of existing products and services, (Bramwell, 1998; Yoon & Uysal, 2005).

Overall it has shown the aspects of the positive and negative impacts that already existed for the industry and that if the industry is better bigger it would be another form of alternative tourism or will be seen as mass tourism and competing on a whole new level.


References
Bramwell, B. (1998). User satisfaction and product development in urban tourism. Tourism Management, 19(1), 35-47.

Yoon, Y., & Uysal, M. (2005). An examination of the effects of motivation and satisfaction on destination loyalty: A structural model. Tourism Management, 26, 45-56

Brida, G. J., and Aguirre, Z. S (2008) The impacts of the cruise industry on tourism destinations,

I have chosen to comment on this paper as it closely relates to the topic I have covered with an interesting title Cruise Tourism: The Bigger the Better? Firstly, looking at the abstract it shows the reader a clear understanding of what the study is about, the term 'niche tourism' however should have been introduced in relation to the strand, also how niche tourism relates to the Cruise industry. The author has used Carnival and Royal Caribbean as example of competitors along with star cruises these three companies are dominating the industry and accounting for over 80 per cent of all cruise booking worldwide. (Dale 2010). The author has identified some good examples of negative and positive issues but could provide a more in-depth discussion backed up by theory.

The author could have used a swot analysis which helps you gain an insight into the past and think of possible solutions to existing or potential products (Ferrell and Hartline, 2004) to identify the developments. To examine the for against argument the author could compare the work of two different authors which relate to this field such as the work of Auebach (2004) and Demos (2008) who argue both corners.

Niche Tourism refers to specific tourism products focused to meet the needs of particular market segments or niches (Novelli 2005). The author has identified that passenger numbers on board cruise ships keeping going up but has not specifically addressed the market it appeals to. i.e. (passenger types - does it attract younger or older people families or couples and why? And has this always been the case? The Author has however provided a listing of the facilities and amenities which reflect upon the consumer needs and the reason to travel. Furthermore the author quotes 'thousands of people on board these mass cruises stop at different ports of call all across the world they spend money on food, drink, souvenirs, attractions and gifts, untimely boosting the economy for the areas' - the multiplier effect could be used an example here as more jobs are created and the area becomes a more popular tourist destination increasing probability and revenue. (Georgraphyfielwork.com, 2014).

The author explains surveys on satisfaction are high. According to (Bramwell, 1998; Yoon and Uysual, 2005). An assessment of tourism satisfaction could help the cruise industry adjust their efforts on enhancing visitors' travel experiences, shaping the quality of existing products and services.
Overall the author has covered a good detailed discussion on the topic with a good range or sources. I believe Looking at the positive and negative impacts was a really good idea as it covers both ends of study under investigation 'the bigger the better? By discussing both the positive and negative impacts it gives the urge to continue reading what is answer? I would recommend the author uses more theory to back up the argument and look at sites such as Travel Mole for articles with recent travel news as the Cruise industry is an industry which is continually growing and forever changing. (Dale (2010)

References

Dale, G. (2010) BTEC National Diploma Level 3 Travel and Tourism - Book 2. Edexcel Limited.

Novelli, M. (ed.) Niche Tourism: An Introduction. London: Routledge.

Geographyfieldwork.com (2013) Tourism Multiplier Effect. [online]. [Assessed 17 May 2013]. Available at: <http://geographyfieldwork.com/TouristMultiplier.htm>.


Demos, T. (2008) Bigger is Better. 3rd ed. Finland: Time Incorporated.
Auerbach, M. (2012) Bigger isn't always better. 7th ed. Advantage Business Media.