Addicted to cruises? Key drivers of cruise ship loyalty behavior through an e-WOM approach

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to identify the drivers that explain loyalty behavior in cruise tourism with the aim of achieving a better understanding of repeat cruisers’ intentions to sail on the same ship or on another ship belonging to the same cruise line or cruise corporation. Design/methodology/approach Based on over 150,000 online reviews about their satisfaction and experience posted by cruisers using so-called electronic Word of Mouth (e-WOM), the authors apply both a graphic and an econometric technique through input-output circular plots and discrete choice models. Findings The main results show that cruisers’ behavior is influenced by multiple onboard attributes, such as the service crew, entertainment options, type of cabin, some characteristics of the ship (age, capacity) and the cruise line (Premium-Luxury versus mainstream), and, specifically, the quality and variety of the gastronomic experience. Practical implications The results highlight that repeats cruisers are predominantly linked to a cruise company or a cruise corporation rather than a particular ship. This result provides information on the moderators that can influence the customers’ repetition behavior, which might be useful for planning revenue management and extending knowledge on hospitality loyalty in general and in the cruise industry in particular, specifically under the current uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value The previous literature has essentially examined revisit intentions in the cruise market from a qualitative approach and the authors have found no study to date that has simultaneously addressed this issue in three dimensions, namely, ship, cruise line and cruise corporation. The research fills this gap by determining the reasons why passengers would repeat a cruise either on the same ship, with the same cruise line or the same cruise corporation based on previous experience.

An assessment of factors for the cruise port of call selection: The modified fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process

“…Also, cruising activities sustained 1.2 million jobs, which equaled $50.24 billion in income and $150 billion in total output worldwide in 2018. Further, with an average growth rate of 6.63% in annual passengers during 1990–2020 [ 2 ], cruise liners always upgrade their navigational capacities to satisfy customers’ strong demand through some solutions, such as increasing business days [ 3 ], expanding shipping routes [ 4 ], and enlarging vessel sizes [ 5 , 6 ]. Cruise liners are also offering bite-sized cruises over three-to-five-day itineraries to many destinations [ 1 ].…”

MetaWOM – toward a sensory word-of-mouth (WOM) in the metaverse

“…With VR and AR, Metaverse will allow everyone to create avatars and engage in virtual communications (Zeng et al , 2020; Wongkitrungrueng and Suprawan, 2023), including word of mouth (WOM). Notably, the Metaverse has the potential to revolutionize service sectors, such as the travel and tourism industry (Abdullah et al , 2022; Castillo-Manzano et al , 2022; Buhalis et al , 2023; Zhang et al , 2023). For illustration, hotels create immersive virtual experiences to provide potential guests with a taste of what their stay might be like.…”

Insights into managerial responses to repeat customers: the moderating role of social influence and revisit intention

“…Repeat-customer relationship management is significant to managers in their efforts to increase business reputation, popularity and performance (Ryu and Han, 2011; Hu et al , 2019; Castillo-Manzano et al , 2022). Restaurants rely heavily on repeat customers to bring stable revenue and form a loyal basis of customers (Matzler et al , 2019).…”