Cruise Tourism Innovation

Innovation management is arguably essential for the profitability and growth sustainability of the cruise industry; as it is for most areas of business endeavour. Now, more than ever, the cruise sector is faced with significant challenges, including: safety and industry reputation in the aftermath of the Costa Concordia disaster, al larger competitive scope and diminishing profit margins. Given that innovation management can be perceived as a management attitude and cultural habit, fostering inspiration is just as relevant as delivering innovation methodologies and guidelines. On this basis, the aim of this combined conference proceedings is to provide a creativity impulse and to illustrate the breadth and potential of innovation management in the cruise sector. Sources on inspiration include: mobile information and communication technologies, multimedia, and the internet and focus on areas as diverse as safety, aesthetics, culture and professional education.

​The growth and increased popularity of cruises is accompanied by a number of sustainability issues concerning the environment, the port economies and societies; on board and at shore. The sustainability imperative ultimately leads to operational, economical as well as image-related challenges for the sector's decision-makers and stakeholders. This collection of peer-reviewed papers, presented during the 3rd International Cruise Conference (Dubrovnik, Croatia), seeks to address those issues and contribute to their management in the mid-term.

This book addresses innovation management and product development in the cruise tourism industry. It explains how experience management has evolved from a strictly company-level, product- or service-focused tactical task to an industry-wide strategic challenge, and analyses the role of intangible reputational aspects of cruise experiences, as well as peripheral components and stakeholders, as increasingly important factors for customer acquisition and retention. Safety and risk issues are a central theme, as well as the cruise sector’s environmental and socio-economic impacts. Lastly, the book considers the increasing size of cruise vessels and the accompanying standardisation of facilities and itineraries, in conjunction with the hybridisation of cruise passengers in connection with expanding the competitive boundaries and intensity of competition in the cruise sector. The book approaches these issues as more than a mere public relations campaign, recognising the fact that they have since become the very essence of strategic cruise business development.

The cruise industry is one of the fastest growing segments of tourism. Although, cruise tourism is a recent development in Asia and the Pacific as compared to the traditional destinations in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, it has been growing at double-digit rates fuelled by the increasing demand from the North-East Asia markets, namely from China.

The book focuses more on the study of cruise economy industry chain based on the previous editions and the latest trend of China’s cruise economy. It includes the Special Topic: Cruise Economic Reform and Innovation in the New Era, explores Asia cruise economic prosperity index, China’s cruise economy whole-industry-chain strategy in the new era, and the development of cruise destinations in the context of the Yangtze River Delta integration. The volume provides a good reference for better promoting the high-quality development of China’s cruise market.

Over the past twenty years, worldwide demand for cruise tourism has posted some of the biggest gains within the tourism sector. The constant dynamism in cruise activity, As well as the increasing number of countries that include cruises, As a key product for their tourism development, has led to update and Expand The first edition of the UNWTO study of 2003. This new study discusses subjects like the current supply and demand for cruises, As well as its characteristics and trends. A new element includes the relationship between destinations and cruise lines, analysing key factors such as legislation, promotion And The economic impact of cruises through reference cases. it presents current trends in this industry in terms of innovation, safety and security, sustainability and identifies the major lines that will shape the sector.

Completely updated and revised, Cruise Ship Tourism, 2nd Edition covers the economic, social and environmental impacts of cruising, combining the latest knowledge and research to provide a comprehensive account of the subject. Despite the industry growing rapidly, there is a substantial gap in the related literature, and this book addresses the key issues for researchers, students and industry professionals. A valuable 'one-stop-shop' for those interested in cruise ships and maritime tourism, this new edition from major names in the field is also an invaluable resource for anyone concerned more widely with tourism and business development.