Cruise tourism

[Kamrul Hasan Bhuiyan]

Cruise tourism is one of the fastest growing segments in the tourism industry and can make a significant contribution to a destination's economy and local communities. As cruise lines are looking for new destinations, cruise tourism can offer opportunities for some developing countries. Business Support Organisations (BSOs) that want to develop cruise tourism have to make sure that they maintain the core natural and cultural values of their destination by developing policies that safeguard their nature and culture and that limit potential negative impacts of cruise tourism.

The cruise market is one of the fastest growing segments in the travel and tourism industry and can make a significant contribution to a destination's economy. As cruise lines are increasingly looking for new destinations, cruise tourism can offer opportunities to Developing countries with harbour facilities and an interesting hinterland. However, barriers to entrance are high as cruise tourism requires a lot of investments in accessibility and competition is fierce. Furthermore, cruise tourism can also bring negative impact on a destination, for example environmental pollution.

This Product Factsheet will give insights into the cruise tourism market. It is written for CBI Programme Managers and local Business Support Organisations (BSOs) to help them decide whether or not to invest in cruise tourism development.