The word “cruising” evokes an image of a ship sailing on the open seas, naturally turning our focus to the passengers’ onboard experience. Equally if not more important, however, are the ports of call and what happens when the ship arrives at a destination. Our department has been working tirelessly since the late ‘90s to develop destinations and port facilities whenever there is the need to improve our guests’ shore-side experience or when our ships need infrastructure that is not in place.
The trend towards bigger ships makes it more essential than ever to help destinations make the necessary adjustments to their port infrastructure and facilities. There are many big ships on order, not least our Symphony of the Seas, which at 230,000 GT is the largest passenger ship ever built. She is the fourth in Royal Caribbean’s Oasis class of ships and will spend April running her first voyages between Barcelona and destinations in Italy and France. Naturally, ports of call need to have the capability and necessary services to host this new generation of ultra-large cruise ships. That is why we are always available to help strategic destinations improve their facilities.
Developing port infrastructure is a long-term process and one that requires a stable system in terms of rules, bureaucracy and strategic vision. Thankfully, most local authorities and partners understand the benefits of cruise tourism and are generally keen to commit to a business model that can persist over time.
Inevitably, not everyone is so happy about cruise tourism. When big ships call at historical European cities, temporary overcrowding – or sometimes just the perception of it – can cause controversy. It is therefore in everyone’s interest, including the interest of passengers, the cruise line and local authorities, businesses and citizens, for us to work together with ports and destinations to identify mutually beneficial solutions. A big part of this is providing accurate information to educate local authorities and citizens about the positive impact of cruising on destinations. We also need to highlight the fact that cruise visitors represent a very small percentage of the total number of tourists, who mostly arrive by plane, train, bus or car. The Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) is doing some incredible work in this area with key historical destinations in Europe.
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