The future of tourism in an emerging economy: the reality of the cruise industry in Caribbean

Purpose– In the face of newly industrialised nations, there is the tendency that there will be a shift or redirect of tourists from old tourism destinations to the newly industrialised ones. While there has been a consistent growth in cruising to the Caribbean, the question is whether the growth in cruise ship calls and increase in cruise passenger arrivals to the Caribbean translate into greater development for the region ' s stakeholders or whether this just creates increased profits for the cruise lines, and whether there will be a shift from the Caribbean to the newly industrialised nation in years to come. This paper seeks to address these issues.Design/methodology/approach– This research employed mixed methods approach to answer the research question. The nature of the question and data necessary to answer the question led to the choice of qualitative and quantitative techniques.Findings– The findings from this research will, hopefully, serve as a guide for Caribbean nations to develop a better strategy to cope with the cruise tourism industry; an approach based more along the lines of inter-island collaboration as opposed to competition.Research limitations/implications– Lack of ample data on cruise tourism in the Caribbean was one of the limitations of the study. Another drawback involved the high level of secrecy which surrounds the industry and the unwillingness of cruise lines and their associates to provide access to operational data, which they regard as confidential.Originality/value– The Caribbean, particularly Caribbean governments, will benefit from a greater understanding of the power relations among the cruise tourism stakeholder chain and the profile of costs and benefits associated with the industry. Over the years, the Caribbean has relied solely on the economic impact surveys produced by Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), both of whom represent the cruise lines, in order to make projections and development plans for the industry.