The cruise industry in China: Efforts,progress and challenges

The cruise industry has evolved considerably and in recent years emerged to become one of the most rapidly developing segments of the global tourism industry, with millions of passengers cruising each year. On a global basis, the cruising sector is overwhelmed by North America. During recent years above average growth rates are reported in emerging cruise markets in the Asia Pacific region. As one of the core elements of the Asian cruise market, China is undergoing rapid growth in terms of both cruise ship visits and cruise tourists. However, limited research has been undertaken in regard to growth of cruising industry in China. The purpose of this article is to report current development of the cruise industry in mainland China. First, we briefly provide an overview of the worldwide cruise industry. Then, we summarize the history and the growth of the cruising sector in China; report characteristics of Chinese cruise passengers and compare them with others; highlight information on geographical distribution, berthing capacity and cruise business performance of each cruise port along China's coastlines; and introduce various cruise policy documents issued by Chinese governments. Finally, we discuss some issues, challenges and relevant managerial implications for developing this niche form of tourism in this country.     

In search of ‘a research front’ in cruise tourism studies

This article aims to provide a critical view of the global scientific production involved in cruise tourism study. Global references in this field were identified and emphasised for managing existing data to establish ‘bridges’ among researchers. Scientometric analysis was conducted on publications about cruise tourism in mainstream journals integrated into Web of Science. This methodology enabled us to identify current topics, relevant journals, authors, institutions, profitable countries, ‘visible’ and ‘invisible’ collaborative colleges and the research areas considered as the epicentre of the cruise tourism debate. A significant contribution of this work is the use of indicators at the three levels of scientometric complexity, i.e. scientific activity, impact and relational character.     

Forecasting Chinese cruise tourism demand with big data: An optimized machine learning approach

After more than ten years of exponential development, the growth rate of cruise tourist in China is slowing down. There is increasingly financial risk of investing in homeports, cruise ships and promotional activities. Therefore, forecasting Chinese cruise tourism demand is a prerequisite for investment decision-making and planning. In order to enhance forecasting performance, a least squares support vector regression model with gravitational search algorithm (LSSVR-GSA) is proposed for forecasting cruise tourism demand with big data, which are search query data (SQD) from Baidu and economic indexes. In the proposed model, hyper-parameters of the LSSVR model are optimized with GSA. By comparing these models with various settings, we find that LSSVR-GSA with selected mobile keywords and economic indexes can achieve the highest forecasting performance. The results indicate the proposed framework of the methodology is effective and big data can be helpful predictors for forecasting Chinese cruise tourism demand.     

Why do you cruise? Exploring the motivations for taking cruise holidays,and the construction of a cruising motivation scale

The purposes of this study were to develop a measurement scale for motivation to cruising and to examine the role of cruising motivation on intention to cruise. The motivation measurement scale was developed by following the procedures recommended by Churchill (1979). The scale was tested and found to be both reliable and valid. The role of cruising motivation on intention to cruise was tested with an online panel survey and it was found that cruising motivation has a positive influence on cruising intention. Based on the study results, some marketing implications were provided to the cruise industry.     

Economic impact of cruise activity: the case of Barcelona

ABSTRACT

This article shows the methodology and the main figures of the local and regional economic impact generated by cruise activity. This article is pioneering in combining different issues: estimating the impact of the cruise port activity, presenting these impacts disaggregated at a sectoral level, using a rigorous methodology and carrying out extensive fieldwork. It is demonstrated that all sectors, not just traditional tourism-related sectors, benefit from cruise tourism. In order to test and apply our methodology we focus the analysis on the Port of Barcelona, which has become the leading cruise port in the Mediterranean area.     

Marketing research and revenue optimization for the cruise industry: A concise review

This paper presents a concise review of the cruise industry mainly from marketing research and revenue optimization prospects. In recent years, the cruise industry has experienced an exciting growth. However, as one of the fastest growing and most profitable categories in the entire leisure market, this industry has hardly received any research attention. Given the limited academic articles, this paper presents a concise review about this budding research topic. First of all, a discussion about global cruise industry is conducted. Then, academic studies of the cruise industry on general marketing research, revenue management, itinerary design/optimization, optimal market segmentation, demand infiltration and economic issues are reviewed. Finally, some promising directions for future research are presented.     

How can Taiwan create a niche in Asia's cruise tourism industry?

Cruise tourism is a significant growth trend in Europe and America. However, in recent years, it has gradually gained popularity among tourists in Asia, showing great potential. Strategically located in Asia, Taiwan is an ideal place to develop cruise tourism. This study explores how Taiwan could build a niche in Asia's cruise tourism industry. It applies the Fuzzy Delphi and Fuzzy IPA methods. According to study results, Taiwan should prioritize on the following aspects: establishing a 24-h tourist service center, providing a complete cruise logistics service, inviting foreign cruise operators to inspect special resources in Taiwan, cooperating with other Asian countries, setting up a special government unit, as well as planning and developing unique tourism resources.     

Selecting a cruise port of call location using the fuzzy-AHP method: A case study in East Asia

Increasing income levels and greater leisure time give people the opportunity to pursue new types of tourism ventures. As one of the fastest growing areas in the leisure travel industry, the cruise industry is increasing rapidly. Due to the benefits that cruise tourism brings to each port of call and the hinterland, it is necessary to be able to analyze the factors that affect cruise lines' port selections. The main objective of this paper is to identify the main factors motivating cruise lines to select specific ports of call and to provide information to port operators that will enable them both to improve their management strategies and to attract more cruise ships, thereby contributing to the revenues of the port and regional economy.     

Expanding our understanding of cruise visitors' expenditure at destinations: The role of spatial patterns,onshore visit choice and cruise category

Cruise tourism is an important and growing source of visitors to destinations. To expand our knowledge of this phenomenon, this study incorporates three new drivers into the analysis of the expenditure patterns of cruise passengers at destinations, namely, spatial intra-destination behavior (single node, multiple node, or hinterland), onshore visit choice (independent or guided), and cruise category (standard, premium, luxury, or exclusive). The study uses quantile regression to unearth the intricacies of the proposed relationships and a dataset that combines GPS tracking technologies and traditional surveys. Results suggest that the mobility pattern, onshore visit choice, and time spent at a destination of cruise visitors have significant effects on their expenditures. However, these effects vary along with the level of expenditure, whereas cruise category does not exert a clear effect on expenditure. The implications for destination management organizations are also discussed.     

家庭旅游研究进展——基于2000-2019年英文文献的综述

家庭旅游是全球旅游业最重要的细分市场。近年来,我国家庭旅游市场的规模和发展潜力受到业界的广泛关注,但相对于我国家庭旅游市场的发展实践,国内学术界对这一细分市场的研究明显不足。文章对2000-2019年发表在英文期刊的136篇家庭旅游文献进行了系统梳理,研究发现国际学术界日益关注家庭旅游,文献数量不断增长,但研究地域主要集中在北美和欧洲等发达国家和地区。研究方法以定量研究为主,研究主题、数据获取方法呈现出多元化的趋势,研究对象聚焦儿童参与的核心家庭旅游活动。研究主要以家庭消费的计量模型、家庭角色和家庭资源/权力理论、体验理论和家庭功能理论等为基础,可归纳为消费、决策、体验和功能等4个研究视角。基于英文研究的局限,并结合中国的文化、家庭、市场和社会特征,文章提出了中国家庭旅游研究应该重点关注的4个方向:(1)中国文化价值观及其影响;(2)中国家庭角色和结构特征;(3)家庭旅游市场的供给研究;(4)积极老龄化(active aging)和社会功能。     

Immersive narratives of ‘self-work’ in an experience society: understanding the cruise ship experience

ABSTRACT

Commentators have long argued that cruise ship tourism is a highly rationalised form of mass consumption, a ‘total institution’ in which consumption defines and controls the individual’s experience. Arguing that this represents a simplification, this article suggests that a closer analysis of cruise tourism tells us something profound about the nature of what it means to be a consumer in a de-territorialised age. Specifically, the article explores the suggestion that the cruise experience represents a mode of consumption in which the consumer effectively becomes the product. Through the deployment of an autoethnographic investigation of the cruising experience the paper seeks to shed light on the relationship between the tourist experience and notions of self, while making a case for a re-conceptualisation of consumption as self-work. In this light, the contention is made that the ideological power of consumption is intensified by tourism’s emphasis on the experience of the consumer as part of a broader process in which there has been a shift away from the specific consumption of products towards consumption as a temporal-partial process of self-endowment.     

中国遗产旅游的研究态势——基于核心期刊的文献计量分析

该研究以中国学术期刊网络出版总库的"中文核心期刊"为数据来源,以"遗产"和"旅游"为主题检索,从年代、期刊、作者、作者机构、研究对象、研究地点、研究方法和研究主题等方面进行了文献计量分析。研究发现,我国遗产旅游研究开始于20世纪90年代,近10年得到飞速发展,形成了核心刊物群,但尚未拥有稳定的核心作者群,在研究机构上以北京、广州、南京等大城市和遗产资源集中区域的高校及科研院所为主;中国遗产旅游的研究对象趋向多元化,在研究地点上以国内研究为主,且集中在长江中上游、东北等区域,缺乏国际性研究;在研究方法上,以实证研究方法为主,新方法和手段仍有待加强;在研究主题上,中国遗产旅游关注的问题较为多样,但主要表现为五大内容,即价值属性、旅游发展、产业经济、游客及社区、保护管理。     

Vacationers’ norm-based behavior in developing environmentally sustainable cruise tourism

The cruise industry has faced the greening issue. The present research was designed to explicate cruise travelers’ decision formation for choosing an environmentally responsible cruise product rather than a conventional cruise. To achieve the research purpose, we employed a norm activation theory (NAT) and extended it by including social norms and anticipated feelings. An online survey was used as survey methodology. The validated measures in the previous studies were used. Results of the measurement model assessment revealed that the utilized measures contained a satisfactory level of reliability and validity. Findings from the modeling comparison showed that the proposed extended model included a better ability to predict passengers’ pro-environmental intentions than the original NAT. Our findings further indicated that personal norm and ascribed responsibility played a crucial mediating role; and personal norm has the greatest criticality in the process of generating passengers’ intentions for selecting an environmentally responsible cruise. In sum, our objectives were sufficiently obtained. Our findings provided tourism researchers and cruise practitioners with a sufficient understanding of passengers’ eco-friendly decision-making process related to a cruise product.     

旅游与接待业研究:中国与国外的比较--兼论中国旅游学科的成熟度

本文主要探讨了中国旅游研究与国外旅游研究所存在的差距。根据作者利用网络资源所做的调查，本文得出了这样的结论：与国外同行的研究水平相比，中国的旅游研究还存在一定的差距。表现在：学术期刊以及研究文献的数量都远不及英语国家；中国的旅游学术界往往追逐由各级政府部门所引导的热门话题而进行研究；在学术研究上由于缺乏充分的跟进研究，使有价值的学术积累非常单薄；中国的旅游学还很难成为一个独立的学科。作者通过实证分析的方法对上述命题进行了探讨。     

Tourism crisis management: Can the Extended Parallel Process Model be used to understand crisis responses in the cruise industry?

The purpose of this paper was to understand the effect of crisis communication on people's risk perception attitude, perceived safety, and cruise travel intentions. Specifically, this study was concerned with the emerging health issues of Norovirus outbreaks on cruise ships. A between-subjects experiment was conducted. Responses were collected from 169 participants after presenting them with different crisis communication messages. Drawing on the Extended Parallel Process Model, the findings revealed that perceived threat directly affected respondents' attitude towards the involved cruise line, while perceived efficacy moderated the relationship between perceived threat and perceived safety of cruising. Additionally, the results of this study indicated that perceived safety mediated the relationship between perceived threat and cruise travel intentions, and this mediating relationship was moderated by perceived efficacy. This study's findings suggest new theoretical approaches for understanding tourism crisis communication and recommend an audience-centered paradigm in communicating health crisis issues in tourism and travel.     

Cruise trouble. A practice-based approach to studying Arctic cruise tourism

Cruise arrivals in the Arctic often take place in small coastal communities. Although there may be economic benefits for these communities, these are often counterbalanced by social and environmental stresses. In this article, we ask how we can tend to Arctic cruise tourism development using Haraway's concept of staying with the trouble. As a way to bridge often polarized views on cruise tourism as either an economic tool or a destructive force, we propose a practice-based research approach to engage with the complexities of cruise tourism. The aim is to foster response-abililty for Arctic cruise communities to live (better) with cruise tourism. We argue that practice-based approaches help researchers ‘stay with the trouble’ as it is rooted in everyday experiences and the materiality of cruise destinations. Also, its flat ontology supports a ‘tinkering’ approach to cruise practices.     

边境旅游研究进展与启示——以SSCI论文为例

边境旅游是促进区域一体化发展和强化跨境旅游合作的主要手段,深入分析国际边境旅游研究脉络与研究热点,对促进富民兴边、睦邻安邦及对接国际国内旅游“双循环”具有重要借鉴意义。本文以1995—2021年发表的1 124篇SSCI英文文献为基础,对边境旅游研究领域的时间分布、关键词突现、聚类特征等进行可视化分析。研究发现,英文文献中对边境旅游的研究可分为起步阶段、发展阶段与创新阶段;主要研究议题包括边境旅游吸引物、边境旅游影响、边境旅游安全及跨境旅游合作;边境旅游研究趋势发生两大转变,一是研究视角从单一向多元转向,二是理论探索从功能说向效应说深入。建议国内对边境旅游的研究应结合国家战略拓展边境旅游研究议题,强调中国边境旅游特色的同时贡献“中国智慧”。     

#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.     

Efficiency analysis of major cruise lines

Three major cruise lines account for 82% of the total market share. Their financial statements show different results between the operating incomes and net incomes over time. To examine the major causes of the differences, this study measured the efficiency of the top three cruise lines to develop a network DEA model to analyze the cruise operations at two stages, namely operating and non-operating stages. In addition, the determinants of the efficiencies were examined using a bootstrapped-truncated regression model. Overall, cruise lines were efficient at the operating stage, but varied widely in the efficiency of the non-operating stage. Cruise lines attempting high capacity expansion were relatively inefficient because of the heavy interest payments arising from the high debt-to-capital ratio. Moreover, the neglected hedging policy regarding the financial risks also contributed to the inefficiency.     

The relevance of mobile tourism and information technology: an analysis of recent trends and future research directions

Although there have been studies concerning information and communication technologies adoption in the tourism industry, the research trends of mobile tourism (m-tourism) are still not very clear due to the short development time and emerging nature of the technologies. To fill this gap, this study reviewed and analyzed articles related to online reviews of tourism and hospitality published in academic journals between 2002 and 2015. Through a keyword-driven search and content analysis, 92 articles are identified as relevant and classified into three topics. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of this promising research direction by presenting the interesting classification methods used by relevant publications and their insights. This paper also discusses significant topical and methodological trends, and contributes to an overall understanding of existing research and its limitations.