Cruise Passengers’ Expenditures in Relation to Satisfaction Levels in a Mediterranean Port of Call

Abstract

AbstractTourist satisfaction has been recognized as a key element for tourism growth and promotion in all sectors of the tourism industry. Although several studies have been published analysing the importance of cruise tourism to local and national economies, only few of them address the relation between cruise tourist satisfaction and tourism expenditures, especially in new ports of call. This paper examines such interrelations to passengers’ expenditure on goods and services during their stay in a port. The analysis is based on a survey on cruise passengers porting in Argostoli, which is the main port of Kefalonia island (Greece). Findings indicate that cruise passengers’ satisfaction is a key element to elevated levels of expenditure during staying on a visited port, since there is a strong correlation between tourists spending and level of tourist satisfaction. This empirical evidence provided from the analysis of the data present implications for policymakers in search of methods to stimulate economic growth and development on tourist destinations.