Keywords

1 Introduction

The cruise industry is a segment of tourism activity with high levels of growth in spite of their limited supply worldwide: 272 ships with an average capacity of 2,126 passengers in 2022 (CLIA, 2023). In the ports where cruise ships dock, they generate a high economic and environmental impact. In fact, it is estimated that cruisers spend an average of $750 USD per passenger in port cities over the course of a typical seven-day cruise (CLIA, 2023). However, there are high differences when the port acts as a home port (embarkation or disembarkation) or when the port is a port-of-call. The passenger spending in port before boarding a cruise is $376 and the passenger spending in port while visiting during a cruise is $101. Despite the economic impact associated with the ever-growing arrival of cruise ships, the sector is accused of not being sustainable, especially in environmental terms, which is why associations and political parties are increasingly appearing to limit the arrival of cruise ships. This is the case, for example, in Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca in Spain. In fact, sustainability and responsible tourism is the biggest challenge facing the sector today (CLIA, 2023).

The aim of this research is to analyse the potential of Big Data and Business Intelligence in cruise destinations. This potentiality is faced from a managerial view management but also from a sustainable view management. The average time spent in a port of call in Spain is 7.95 h–6.50 h in terms of useful time (Espinet Rius et al., 2020). In this sense, the authors consider relevant to differentiate the challenges and opportunities of big data and business intelligence depending on the use of the port as a homeport or only as a port-of-call.

This conceptual research is part of a larger project that aims to be of use in both the applied–public and private–and academic spheres. This project brings together academics and practitioners from the sector to achieve more useful results in both areas.

2 Literature Review

Although the literature on Big Data and Business Intelligence in the tourism sector is relatively extensive (Li et al., 2018; Grundner & Neuhofer, 2021; Knani et al., 2022; Lyu et al., 2022), in the case of the cruise industry is scarce. Indeed, the search in the Web of Science (WOS), in which in the Topic there are both concepts: “cruise” and the terms: “Big Data”, “Business Intelligence” or “Artificial Intelligence” in tourism (“hospitality”) or transportation (“transportation”) journals, written in English, in SSCI and ESCI indexes, returns 17 articles that have been analysed in detail. There 6 articles completely technics and go beyond the aims of this study. Weng & Yang (2015) collect several data to analyse shipping accident injury severity and mortality, splitting the specific impact of the cruise ships. Park et al. (2016) use the information available from twitter to assess opinions about the cruise sector. Pallis et al. (2018) analyze private entry strategies and internationalization patterns in the cruise terminal industry in the Mediterranean. Tao and Kim (2019) assess cruise experience and satisfaction through online reviews. Tham et al. (2021) use several data sources to analyse recreational cruise sustainability. Wu et al. (2020) assess the impact of cruise image on Chinese passengers’ satisfaction and purchase intent. Xie et al. (2021) use the possibilities of Big Data to predict Chinese cruise tourism demand. Calatayud et al. (2022) use Big Data to analyse the relationship between traffic congestion and cruise activity using more than 80 million observations. Carvache-Franco et al. (2022) analysed the discussion topics in the popular Twitter’s tourism hashtags during the COVID-19 crisis related to coastal and marine tourism. Finally, Muritala et al. (2022) analyse the perception of cruise ships in the wake of COVID-19 through almost 140,000 tweets. Buhalis et al. (2022) is the only work found whose objective is more conceptual and broader and they propose a conceptual model that is a benchmark for the sector, although with a more technical perspective than the one proposed in this study.

3 Methodology

As this is a theoretical research, methodologically this study is carried out according to the existing literature and at the same time with the managerial experience of the authors. Given that the existing literature on this topic is very limited, the methodological approach is based on what has been obtained from the literature and the authors’ extensive professional experience and knowledge of Big Data. This is undoubtedly a limitation that will need to be complemented in future studies with some qualitative and quantitative empirical research. Espinet Rius et al. (2022) propose a process of collecting and managing cruise data after defining the aims of the research. First, it is necessary to identify the necessary data. Second, to search where to find the necessary information (assessing the cost and benefit of obtaining it and dismissing it if deemed appropriate). With the information that it is finally decided to collect, it will be necessary to proceed to its integration and processing, ensuring the quality of the data so that the results derived from the analyses carried out cannot lead to erroneous decisions. Finally, statistic and econometric development will be carried out using all available tools (including artificial intelligence and virtual reality). Other relevant issues to be considered are the technical requirements for capturing, integrating and analyzing the information, as well as the frequency of updating the information.

In the case of the present research, in order to make the most of Big Data and Business Intelligence in the cruise industry, the authors will focus on identifying which information from the point of view of ports is available and their specific characteristics and proposing a model that allows the different information to be linked together. Then, some potential studies from a managerial view but also from a sustainable view are suggested.

4 Results

In order to manage the possibilities of Big Data and Business Intelligence in cruise destinations as efficiently as possible, it is important to differentiate when the port acts as an embarkation and/or disembarkation port or when the port acts as a port of call. There are ports that, due to their size or due to operational decisions, they only act as a port of call. To be a port of embarkation/disembarkation an additional set of very strict requirements must be met, apart from the high economic investment. In all cases, the number of ships and their characteristics that dock at each port are also very important, especially for managing economic and sustainable issues.

When the port is a port of embarkation and/or disembarkation, some passengers are residents of the area (for example, some of the passengers of cruises embarking and/or disembarking in Barcelona live in their surroundings), so that these passengers must be considered in a different way that the rest of passengers (from now on, passengers living in the vicinity of the port of embarkation/disembarkation will be considered as “natives” and the rest as “tourists”). For the purposes of our study, we are interested in tourists. In the case of tourists, it is important to be able to trace what they do during their stay (if this is the case) and also to be able to know all their spending behavior at the destination. The impact on destination and surroundings is completely different when tourist arrive directly to embark or leave directly upon disembarking, that when they decide to spend any night at the destination.

When the port acts as a port of call, all persons disembarking–passengers and crew–can be considered “tourists”. The first key element is the number of hours that these people will stay at the destination, which is limited as already indicated in the introduction. From here it is relevant to know the number of people who disembark - on a cruise ship there are always passengers who do not disembark and therefore have no impact on the destination–and the traceability of what they do and the expenditure they incur–always differentiating between passengers and crew (the latter are often underestimated).

Another relevant issue to consider is not only the port where the ship docks, but also the excursions and activities that take place, which can go beyond the port itself and can lead to tourism development.

Figure 1 presents an outline of the stages of a cruiser and from which we will define what information can be obtained that can be useful for efficient destination management in terms of Big Data and Business Intelligence. From here it is explained what information may be available from each stage and how it could be used to make the most of the potential of Big Data. The study does not consider the information and steps taken by cruise passengers prior to travelling to the port of embarkation, which can also be a useful source of information. For reasons of space limitation, basic approaches are made, although in another version of the study it is more detailed and precise. It is not the aim of this study to go into the analytical part.

Fig. 1
A 3-stage process flow of a cruiser in defining an efficient Big Data and Business Intelligence model. 1. Port of embarkation with the destination. 2. Itinerary involving ships, ports of call, and activities and experiences of passengers and crew, and 3. Port of disembarkation, are in order.

Source own elaboration

Stages of a cruiser in defining an efficient Big Data and Business Intelligence model. (*) Cruise passengers who take advantage of embarking / disembarking at a port to complete their visit to the destination and surroundings.

Full size image

It is important to note that the planning of cruise itineraries is done at least 2–3 years in advance, and is only changed in exceptional situations, so that destinations can know much of the information in advance and therefore prepare their destination and sustainability strategies in advance.

4.1 Embark/Disembark Destination

As mentioned above, some passengers arrive at the port of embarkation destination a day before the departure of the cruise, either because of tourist interest or transport logistics. The same happens when disembarking. It is therefore very important to have traceability of what these passengers do. This includes where they stay, what activities they do and the expenditure they incur, as well as their socio-demographic data that allows the visitor profile to be defined. The most efficient way to obtain this information would be at the time of embarkation through a survey reflecting all information needs, but without tiring the interviewee. This should be complemented by qualitative surveys. Traceability is much more difficult once disembarked, and in this sense, it could be asked in the embarkation questionnaire or at the end of the cruise, but it will always be an estimate, but not definitive.

This information is very relevant for destination purposes as it can help a lot to define the impact of the sector and to propose strategies to convince cruise passengers to return to the destination.

4.2 Ports

In this section we refer specifically to the location and technical characteristics of the ports. The growth of cruise activity has led in many cases to having to move the ports of embarkation to the surrounding area, which is an inconvenience for many cruise passengers as it implies a greater loss of time, although it is more sustainable at the destination level. This is more common in embarkation/disembarkation ports than in ports of call (for example, from the cruise terminal in Barcelona-to-Barcelona City Hall is a 42-min walk). Again, traceability to get to/move from this location is very relevant here and can help efficient destination management, both in terms of passenger satisfaction and sustainability. This information can be collected by the port or the shipping company and shared.

In relation to the technical characteristics of the ports, the most relevant for the purposes of this study are all the measures that are being taken to guarantee sustainability and which, to a large extent, involve electrification. Unlike the previous ones, these are characteristics that are fixed for a period of time, and which are apparently easier to obtain and, therefore, susceptible to more precise analysis.

4.3 Ships

Information on the characteristics and attributes of ships is one of the keys to a destination, both at a more economic and commercial level, as well as in terms of sustainability. For each ship, they may be of particular interest: size, tonnage, length, beam, total crew, passengers, passenger space ratio, passenger crew ratio, total of cabins by each type of cabin…

This information can be obtained at a very precise level from the cruise company and in many cases is stable over time (size, tonnage, capacity… do not change often). In any case, an annual review is recommended. It is public information, so the maximum cost of obtaining it is its capture, which can be done through web scraping techniques. It anticipates knowing roughly the profile of the cruise passengers who will arrive in port and who will therefore visit nearby destinations. It is also the most important part of assessing sustainability.

4.4 Destinations of Ports of Call

In the field of port of call destinations, the first thing to know is how long the ship will stay in port and how much time passengers have to get to know the port destination and its surroundings. This information as indicated above is known 2–3 years in advance.

4.5 People: Passengers and Crew

Undoubtedly, the key to a destination is the profile of the people who disembark at its port, the activities they undertake and the degree of satisfaction they derive from these activities. This includes both passengers and crew, although the latter have far fewer opportunities.

In relation to the profile of cruise passengers, this refers to the socio-demographic characteristics, but also to the motivational and behavioural characteristics of the cruise passenger during the itinerary. For example: age; gender; academic training; professional activity; range of family income; motivations for taking the cruise; indicator of the number of cruises taken… These data are accurately recorded by the shipping companies, as are the data on the crew members, which should be shared with the destination. This information is very useful at the destination level to know the profile of the people who visit them and to be able to adapt to their needs and preferences.

In relation to the activities, they carry out, it is relevant to have the traceability of what passengers/crew members do when they arrive at the port, as indicated in Sect. 4.1 above. As an example, it is important to know how many passengers and crew move around the destination, as in some cases they do not move from the ship, which does not bring any benefit to the destination. Since in some cases passengers contract excursions with the ship itself, they may be able to provide information on this. Therefore, the source of information to obtain this information is through surveys and the shipping company itself. In any case, this information is not precise.

The last part of the analysis of disembarking persons corresponds to the analysis of the customer experience rating. This is undoubtedly one of the broadest fields, with more possibilities from the point of view of Big Data and business intelligence. In this field, there are different websites that provide precise information on the rating (for example, www.cruisecritic.com or www.logitravel.com), not only quantitatively but also qualitatively through the comments made, which can be captured by web scraping techniques at an acceptable economic cost. In addition, it is common for both shipping companies and destinations to carry out their own evaluation surveys, which they can make available if they consider it appropriate, but it is not common for them to do so. It is advisable to carry out surveys periodically since it is very important to see the evolution of satisfaction so that appropriate decisions can be made. Information on quality and satisfaction is very useful for the image, reputation and loyalty of both shipping companies and destinations, and is of special interest when it can be cross-referenced with other variables such as ship characteristics, itineraries, prices and the profile of the cruiser.

4.6 An Application to Cruise Destinations

With everything seen in the previous sections, ports could take advantage of Big Data and Business Intelligence in different areas. First, it is very important to remember that itineraries are planned 2–3 years in advance, making it much easier to anticipate measures, both from a public and private perspective.

  • To know the profile of cruise ship passengers. This would allow comparison with other types of tourism arriving to the destination, and help to define the strategy as a tourist destination.

  • To know the traceability of what cruise passengers, do when they arrive at port so that their priorities can be identified and adapted to achieve an excellent customer experience.

  • Precise analysis of the economic, social and sustainable impact of the cruise sector, which will help to take measures in both the public and private sectors.

  • Given the limitations on the number of ships that can dock at the destination, help to choose the type of shipping companies / ships that are most recommendable for the destination in the economic, social and sustainable spheres as a whole.

  • Assess the possibility that cruise tourism could reduce the seasonal nature of tourism and promote longer stays when the destination is the port of embarkation/disembarkation.

In terms of requirements for the efficient application of Big Data and Business Intelligence, we consider that they are not very demanding. On the one hand, at a technical level, it is a matter of having technical equipment without great sophistication. On the other hand, at the human level, it is very convenient to have a multidisciplinary team that can identify data needs, obtaining them, integrating them in computerized form and managing them through statistical and econometric analyses that result in reports that facilitate decision-making in the economic, social and sustainability fields. Depending on the speed of implementation of measures, results could begin to be observed in the short term. In any case, a more in-depth analysis is needed.

5 Conclusions

This study aims to analyse the potential of Big Data and Business Intelligence applied to cruise destinations at a conceptual level. In this sense, the study clearly differentiates between destinations that are embarkation/disembarkation destinations and those that are ports of call, where cruise passengers spend a very limited time at the destination. This is a conceptual investigation based on the authors’ experience and the scarce existing literature, and is therefore new in its field.

A very relevant issue compared to other types of tourism is that destinations can anticipate the passenger profile, given that the planning of cruises is carried out 2–3 years in advance, which means that they can adapt more to the passengers’ priorities. This is particularly relevant at a time when the cruise sector is being questioned because of the overcrowding it entails-we insist, which is well known in advance-and because of its impact in social and sustainability terms.

The main sources of information for an adequate use of Big Data and Intelligence in cruise destinations are the cruise lines themselves and what the destinations have been able to identify from the traceability of what cruise passengers do. It is therefore very important that there is close collaboration between destinations and cruise lines in order to have integrated databases which should allow decisions to be made that benefit destinations and cruise lines, both economically, socially and in terms of sustainability. These databases should be maintained over time to identify trends and adapt to changes in demand as well as social and sustainability requirements.

In terms of applicability this is very diverse: to know the profile of cruise ship passengers and the traceability of what they do in destinations; to precise analysis of the economic, social and sustainable impact of the cruise sector; to help to choose the type of shipping companies/ships that are most recommendable for the destination in the economic, social and sustainable spheres as a whole; or to assess the possibility that cruise tourism could reduce the seasonal nature of tourism.

This work is a summary of extensive research that looks precisely at each of the fields that could be useful, the difficulties in obtaining them, their cost and how they could be used.

To the best of our knowledge, this study is pioneering in its field because there is very little research on the subject in the cruise sector. The main limitation of the study is that there is hardly any literature or previous experience. Therefore, it is recommended that this study be extended with a literature review in other tourism areas, and an empirical analysis in different cruise destinations, distinguishing those which are ports of embarkation/disembarkation from those which are only ports of call.