Cruise Tourism Development and Management

Cruise tourism research examines how large-scale passenger shipping intersects with port economies, coastal environments, and traveler behavior, drawing on methods from economics, geography, and management studies. The sector carries real weight: cruise lines generate substantial revenue for port destinations while also concentrating environmental pressure—waste discharge, carbon emissions, and reef damage—in relatively small coastal zones, making the balance between economic gain and ecological cost a persistent practical concern. Researchers are actively trying to understand how ports can be managed to distribute visitor spending more effectively into local economies rather than back onto ships, and how industry-wide disruptions like COVID-19 reshape passenger expectations and destination loyalty in ways that linger long after services resume. Open questions remain around whether voluntary sustainability commitments from cruise operators translate into measurable environmental improvement, and how smaller or less-resourced port communities can negotiate terms that actually serve their long-term interests.

Works

60,363

Total citations

134,925

Keywords

Cruise TourismEnvironmental ImpactEconomic ContributionSustainabilityPort ManagementPassenger Behavior