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The cruise tourism industry has experienced a positive evolution, with an average annual growth rate in the worldwide number of cruise passengers of 7.84% between 1990 and 2013. This chapter presents an empirical analysis particular to Spanish cruise ports and their associated tourist hinterlands. With regard to cruise ports, an evolution analysis and port portfolio analysis technique using the growth-share matrix for the period 2000–2013 is applied in order to identify the competitive positions of a range of 18 ports in the Spanish Mediterranean coast. While for the tourist hinterland of each port is characterized the geographical area encompassed. The results obtained identify the different competitive positions of ports and the different types of hinterlands characterized.

There are numerous pressures on the cruise tourism industry as in the recent past, many well-established cruise tourism locations have been turning tourists and ships away due to overtourism. It is argued here that now is the time to consider the introduction of new destinations.

The article is based on a literature review and discussions with experienced practitioners.

The cruise industry has continued to evolve and the numbers of people engaging in cruise tourism had been on the increase globally until the Covid-19 pandemic. Medium-sized and mega ships with state-of-the-art facilities were in regular use. Despite the fact that there was a boom, the need for an extension of cruise lines destinations has arisen as there are numerous nations with exciting locations waiting to be discovered. Some of the limitations of such destinations include difficulty of access for large mega ships and infrastructure. A way forward can be found though by engaging local smaller boats/ships to transfer tourists to local destinations.

More work is needed to clarify issues such as (1) the readiness of proposed host communities to receive tourists; (2) terms and conditions of engagement of local boat companies; (3) cruising infrastructure development and (4) facilities upgrading that is compatible with international cruising standards.

This paper highlights some of the issues being faced by cruise companies in well-established tourism destinations. It also emphasizes the need for new, hitherto undiscovered locations to accommodate a likely expansion in demand in the post-Covid-19 era.

The purpose of this paper is to explore if Jamaican authorities can improve revenue earnings from cruise tourism in the post Covid-19 period by improving the standards of current attractions, adding new ones and allowing more citizens to participate.

A literature review was undertaken, supported by discussions with other authors who have written and published previous work on cruise tourism, and conversations with prominent tourism industry representatives.

All cruise lines operating in the Caribbean have islands to exclusively entertain their guests and yet, Caribbean islands need more integration. Each island currently negotiates separately with cruise lines to determine the “head tax” payable. Cruise lines could give guests a more authentic experience by employing more workers from the region and tourism workers could improve their earnings by working more closely with cruise lines. Caribbean governments can expand access to more attractions by improving their road network across the islands.

Further investigation could include: ways to integrate more Caribbean islands, negotiations between cruise lines and the Caribbean islands as a group, making Caribbean workers more attractive to the cruise industry and, the cruise lines' appetite for more diversified attractions within the Caribbean region.

This study should raise the consciousness of the Jamaican government and tourism administrators about the fact that Jamaica has far more attractions than that of those present in the market. More Jamaicans could receive training to provide direct or indirect service within the cruise industry. Increased engagement of Jamaican workers would lead to improved economic wellbeing for them and their families and the country as a whole.

Jamaicans might take better care of their environment if they stood a chance of benefiting more from cruise tourism. They might see clearly how cruise tourism impacts their communities. Further, citizens might take better care of their environment and keep it healthier and attractive. They might be even more self-disciplined in their behaviour and reduce crime and violence to acceptable levels.

This paper provided a simple perspective on how disconnected Caribbean islands are reflected in the wide variance in head tax charged by each island. Caribbean Governments should examine the various ways in which lack of integration has affected the region as a whole and agree on a framework for wider cooperation. If the Caribbean islands negotiate with cruise lines as one group, they may enhance their negotiating power. Each government within the region can conduct a comprehensive audit of attractions and include them in their development plan. Governments could involve their citizens more as providers of service to the cruise tourism business. Cruise operators could also see that there is wisdom and economic benefit arising from engaging more workers from the Caribbean.

The cruise sector has undergone a significant transformation over the past decades, rendering it amongst the fastest growing tourism segments. Nevertheless, cruise holidays represent a relatively small fraction of the entire tourism sector; and so do their economic impacts and externalities. The cruise business has emerged as a result of technological developments in passenger air-transportation and the resulting decline of passenger-shipping. While the increased visibility and over-exposure of its market and product developments may have enabled the re-invention and growth of the cruise sector, they are also amplifiers for its economic and sustainability risks. The purpose of this paper is to relativise both the potential risks and benefits to contribute to more pragmatism in future destination development investments and policies.

Based on a brief historical analysis of cruising and current trends, a realistic future is painted where the passenger and capacity growth rates of cruise tourism gradually level out.

Moreover, the cruise business becomes increasingly technologically driven to maintain profitability and establish its position in the wider experience portfolio of holiday consumers.

Traditionally, the relevance argument for cruise tourism research is based on the reported sector's growth rates and corresponding impacts, positive and negative, on destinations. Yet, the mere reproduction of growth rates and passenger numbers in isolation may well foster a misconception and even an overstatement of the cruise sector's significance and role within the wider tourism context. Arguably, the historical analysis and the comparative statistics contained in this paper paint a much-needed realistic picture and contribute to a deeper understanding of the sector's current dynamics.

The purpose of the theme issue was to enable cruise ship owners and destination governments to critically assess the viability, vulnerability and responsiveness of Caribbean cruise tourism in the context of the pandemic.

This concluding article uses content analysis to re-visit the contributions made to assessing the impact of the pandemic and the implications for Caribbean cruise tourism.

Governments across the Caribbean will need to re-think how they work with the cruise industry in a more cohesive and integrated way. This initiative is likely to result in the Caribbean having greater latitude in negotiations with the major cruise conglomerates that control over 80% of the industry in the region. Close attention must also be paid to improving local infrastructure and to facilitating the involvement of local people in providing tourists with an authentic Caribbean experience.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a significant impact on the Caribbean region. In common with the rest of the world, island destinations had to close their borders to mitigate the impact of the virus and as tourism-dependent locations, this has had financial consequences. At present, there is no end in sight, and it is difficult to predict when Caribbean cruise tourism will ever return to pre-pandemic levels.

COVID-19 has shown the world that we are all dependent on each other and that greater collaboration is needed to re-open the cruise industry. The pandemic has also shown that rapid technological development is needed to drive change. Further, it can be argued that technology will enable all stakeholders to coordinate their responses, together with support from governments across the Caribbean.

This theme issue explored the impact of COVID-19 on cruise tourism in the Caribbean and it proposes factors to mitigate re-occurrence. The proposals contained in this theme issue provide a guide to help enable governments in the Caribbean region to re-position their respective countries in response to the pandemic and related socio-economic impacts.

This study aims to examine consumer perception during COVID-19 and identifies cruise industry marketing strategies to fill a gap in crisis management and product pricing literature.

This study developed and validated two-factor measurement scales (vaccine perception and protective behavior), which predicted cruise intents well. This study revealed how geo-regional factors affect consumer psychology through spatial analysis.

This study recommended pricing 7-day cruises at $1,464 (the most preferred length). The results also showed that future price hikes would not affect demand and that coastal marketing would help retain customers.

This study contributed to the business, hospitality and tourism literature by identifying two new and unique factors (vaccine perception and protective behaviors), which were found to affect consumers’ intention to travel by cruise significantly. The result provided a better understanding of cruise tourists’ pricing preferences and the methods utilized could easily be applied to other cruise markets or tourism entities.

This study aims to disclose the antecedent factors for predicting support for cruise tourism in the Bahamas. It investigated the relationship between residents’ support for cruise tourism and the four indicators that were the positive/negative impact of cruise tourism on the community, perceived conflicts in sharing information and concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Using 278 surveys of local residents near major cruise ports in the Bahamas, this study identified the salient variables in tourism impact and conflict factors. The survey questionnaire was adapted and developed from relevant studies and modified to suit the context of cruise tourism.

The results revealed that residents’ perceived conflict was insignificantly associated with their support for cruise tourism. In contrast, their concerns about COVID-19 and perceptions of the positive and negative cruise tourism impacts were statistically significant in predicting the likelihood of support for tourism.

This study suggests implications for enhancing the long-term growth of the cruise industry, which is vulnerable to environmental threats such as Covid-19.

By celebrating tourism destinations through cruise collections, luxury brands open to new influences. They may develop deeper connections with certain geographical areas, but may also challenge the quintessentially national dimension of luxury brand culture. The best example of synergies between a luxury fashion brand and tourism destinations are the Christian Dior cruise collections with Maria Grazia Chiuri at the helm. This chapter is to understand how cruise collections may enhance luxury fashion houses' brand culture through the connections they develop with tourism destinations. Further, the chapter assesses the extent to which destinations can benefit from the exposure provided by luxury fashion brands' cruise collections.

This study aims to investigate the US cruise market by analyzing industry trends and consumer psychology. COVID-19 has coexisted with human beings for more than two years, and scientists claim that human beings will continuously live with the virus for a long time. Nowadays, cruise tourism and the COVID-19 pandemic studies are still popular in both academia and the industry, and cruise industry trends and market investigations are expected by consumers and investors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the US cruise market and provide a comprehensive market overview for 2022, especially regional comparisons of consumer perceptions. This study identified consumers' preferences, including cruise duration, cruise line, travel season, and travel experience. Regional impacts were assessed by comparing the Agreement scores, and the southern region's residents show higher intention and a more positive attitude toward cruise travel. Finally, theoretical and managerial implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.