Is the Tourism Destination a Core Attribute in the Choice of Cruise Consumers?

Abstract

In the last 10 years, cruise tourism has been frequently analyzed in the academic literature on leisure tourism. However, analysis of consumer behavior and the consumer-buying process is still limited, especially if the European market is taken into consideration. To address this gap in the literature, the authors analyzed how different attributes are evaluated by consumers in their decision-making process. In particular, the authors identified the role of the tourism destination among the different attributes that influence cruisers' choices. Using primary survey data from a sample of 4,002 German, Spanish, Italian, and French consumers, the analysis identifies the existence of consumer segments that give different levels of importance to the numerous attributes, including the tourism destination.