Training and re-certification of crew for the “new normal” in the cruise tourism industry: a Caribbean regional perspective

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the need for training and re-certification of crew for the pandemic-related new normal and for a more sustainable cruise tourism industry.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative method was adopted for this study using a case study research design. The target group was technical and hospitality workers. The semi-structured interview guide was administered through Google Forms, and eight respondents were selected using a purposive sampling technique.FindingsThe study revealed that job losses have occurred among Caribbean nationals, and this is influencing lifestyle practices and family spending power. Further, many workers experienced confinement onboard because of the pandemic, which gave rise to mental health issues. Given this, re-certification and training of technical and hospitality staff in mental wellness is viewed as important in the context of the pandemic-related new normal.Practical implicationsThis study points to relevant training to deal with the pandemic now and in the future. The article has some implications for maritime training institutions that may need to reassess their curriculum to meet future challenges.Social implicationsStakeholders of crew shipping companies, agencies and businesses can gain a greater appreciation of the safety measures needed to protect passengers as well as crew.Originality/valueThe study provides a review of the experiences of cruise tourism staff during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Identifying critical challenges and government’s responses for Filipino seafarers during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…Given this situation, Faremi and Heirs (2022) suggest that re-certification and mental wellness training for seafarers should be regarded as significant in the context of the pandemic-related new normal. Hence, the introduction of a thorough certification attuned to mental health evaluation is viewed as important and authorities and agencies concerned need to re-evaluate possible measures to be undertaken.…”

Satisfacción laboral y COVID-19: el caso del sector de los cruceros

“…Para elaborar las preguntas de las encuestas y entrevistas se ha hecho un análisis exhaustivo de la literatura académica sobre la motivación y la satisfacción de empleados de cruceros. Ciertamente, los estudios sobre este tema son escasos, tanto los de ámbito cuantitativo (Calinao et al, 2020;Lütkenhaus, 2020;Ariza et al, 2021) como los de tipo cualitativo (Bolt y Lashley, 2015;Dennett, 2018;Faremi y Cunningham, 2022).…”

“…En la actualidad, tiene que hacer frente a un conjunto de retos tales como la sostenibilidad ambiental y social, el impacto del cambio climático, la salud y seguridad, y conseguir de nuevo atraer a pasajeros tras la pérdida de reputación (Cruise Line Association, 2022;Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, 2023;MedCruise, 2023). Para ello, es necesario conseguir mejorar la experiencia de los clientes, resultando clave la gestión de los empleados (Papathanassis, 2020;Faremi y Cunningham-Heirs, 2022;Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, 2023;MedCruise, 2023;Raub et al, 2023). Sin duda, el empleo en el sector turístico es habitualmente objeto de debate debido a que es un sector con mucha intensidad horaria y poco remunerado, lo que a menudo lleva a empleados insatisfechos y a una alta rotación, pudiendo afectar a la experiencia percibida por los clientes.…”

Sustainable Cruise Tourism: Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Areas

“…The Training of Sustainable Behavior section consists of six publications and focuses on the experience of training industry participants regarding more sustainable interaction. In general, we can distinguish the following subcategories in this section: (1) passenger education with a focus on the younger generation [31]; (2) cruise ship personnel training [66][67][68]; (3) training for the industry's development without referencing individual stakeholders [69,70]. Table 4 presents papers included in the training for sustainable behavior theme.…”

“…In turn, cruise ship personnel actively promote sustainability ideas in the industry. However, these values must be conveyed first to the employees, who then convey the importance of sustainable development of passenger transport as the industry's future [68]. Personal interaction between employees and passengers and security on board are essential steps towards building trust [63], with their own cultural characteristics depending on the geography of the cruises [66].…”