An empirical model for assessing the effect of ports’ and hinterlands’ characteristics on homeports’ potential

Abstract

Purpose The significant benefits associated with cruise tourism have mobilized port industry, as progressively, a large number of ports are developing cruise operations. Although increasing cruise traffic is a major goal for cruise ports, homeporting constitutes a strategic target of the majority of ports due to its greater economic benefits for both the port itself and its hinterland. The establishment of homeport traffic in a cruise port is subjected to a variety of port internal and external factors. Taking these into account, the paper aims at defining elements that affect the potential of a cruise port to become a homeport. Design/methodology/approach A sample of 47 Mediterranean ports is selected to form the basis for the implementation of an ordinal regression model which links the likelihood of ports to attract homeport traffic with seven explanatory variables which emerged from relevant literature and are split in the main categories of ports’ and hinterlands’ characteristics. To fit the model into the paper’s data, ports are divided into three categories based on their homeport cruise traffic. Findings The results of the empirical model signify that both internal and external factors affect the potential of a port to become a cruise homeport. Concerning the internal factors, adequate infrastructure allowing the facilitation of the last generation of cruise ships and the presence of a private enterprise in ports’ operation seems to foster homeport traffic. Additionally, efficiency in operations seems to be a crucial element. On the other hand, the connectivity of port’s; hinterlands, tourist infrastructure and the level of economic growth are proved to be the hinterlands’ elements which increase the likelihood of a port to attract additional homeport traffic. Practical implications The model forms a comprehensive evaluation basis for whether a cruise port should intensify its pursuit of homeport traffic, as the estimated coefficients could support port and local authorities to understand their competitive position against other ports and spot their strengths and weaknesses. Originality/value The paper contributes in the research dealing with the identification of crucial elements of homeporting from the port’s point of view. Although, it should be mentioned that previous efforts targeting on revealing the characteristics affecting the homeporting potential of ports mostly have been based on questionnaires and expert judgements or empirical models in which the total – and not the homeport traffic – was used as the dependent variable. With the proposed empirical model, home-porting choice analysis is transferred, on the one hand, from the stated preferences level to the revealed preferences level and, on the other hand, from an indirect to a direct approximation of the issue.

Strategic positioning analysis of Spanish cruise ports

“…For a destination to be integrated into a cruise network, it has to fulfil a range of prerequisites both at the port's and at the hinterland's side. These prerequisites are varying depending on the type of cruise traffic that the destination facilitates (Niavis and Vaggelas, 2016).…”

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

“…For developing a dedicated cruise terminal, Lee [ 30 ] emphasized the significance of four kinds of facilities, including port-related facilities (docking facilities, energy supply facilities, and search and rescue systems), tourist-providing facilities (hotels, shopping centers, and recreational areas), information technology facilities (communication networks, and telecommunications infrastructure), and customs, immigration, and quarantine (CIQ) facilities. Additionally, to enhance a cruise port’s attractiveness, cruise vessels should be serviced with: basic supplies [ 24 ], maintenance and repair services [ 10 ], shops and foreign exchange bureaus [ 31 ], and tourism information offices [ 32 ]. The port government’s organizational policies applying to the cruise industry are also imperative to grow the cruise tourism industry [ 33 ].…”

A Comparative Analysis of Seaports in Terms of the Development of Maritime Tourism in the Area of the Baltic Sea

“…With the increasing importance of the social integration of ports with port cities, cruises have become part of the programs of port authorities and other port management organizations. In many parts of the world, ports have been shifted from multi-purpose terminals or temporary transhipment facilities to specialized terminals to act as destination ports and, if possible, home ports for financially viable cruises [18].…”