Determining Factors for the Distribution of Cruise Tourism across the Caribbean

Abstract

The essential characteristics of Caribbean cruise arrivals from 1970 to 2008 are a strong and stable concentration and the shift towards the Western Caribbean. This paper validates the profit maximizing behaviour of the cruise companies as the determining factor explaining the spatial dynamic and static distribution of cruise arrivals in the Caribbean. A discursive approach and econometric regressions corroborate this supply-side approach compared with the demand-side approach from the destination's perspective. Excursion revenue and distance are identified as explanatory variables of a destination's arrival numbers. From those elements, the paper highlights overarching principles for the formulation of cruise development strategies by destinations.