51 A new study conducted by CLIA and a Spanish university challenges locals’ perception that cruise guests are thereason for overcrowding in Barcelona, Spain amazed by the number of new guestfacing innovations! In addition, more cruise lines are investing in fuel-flexible ships as they continue to pursue decarbonisation to hit the industry’s net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050. Today, 28 of the 327 ocean-going cruise ships have dual-fuel engines, and we have another 47 in the current global order book. With the global cruise fleet expanding, ports are facing growing pressure on infrastructure and concerns about visitor flow. How should CLIA and its member lines support destinations in managing tourism sustainably? Destinations are still the top driver for consumers when they’re choosing whether to take a cruise, so it’s crucial we work with them to ensure they’re well-equipped and happy to welcome the growing number of ships. Our members take community concerns seriously and are very willing to find solutions, but we need the same commitment from the ports, destinations and policymakers. Data is crucial in helping us to identify the real issues so we’re investing our efforts in the right area. For example, there’s increasing backlash against cruising in Barcelona, Spain, because locals believe our guests are flooding the city. However, when we studied this with a Spanish university, we found cruise guests account for just 2.5 per cent of the tourism loading in Barcelona on any given day. There were only 32 instances across one year where cruise tourism loading exceeded five per cent, but stayed under 7.5 per cent. With this data, we can now have a meaningful conversation to find an effective solution. The benefit of cruise is that itineraries are planned at least two years in advance, so ports and destinations know when the ships are coming, how long they will stay, how many guests will be onboard, and what types of excursions they will likely want to do. This means they can prepare in advance and introduce measures to manage tourism flow. They can’t do this with independent travellers. What steps can cruise lines and destination stakeholders take to alleviate community concerns and ensure ship calls have a positive impact for everyone? Some particularly effective solutions we’ve seen ports and cruise lines develop Photo: iStockphoto/Jonathan Thomas-Palmer
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