3 trends for maritime and river tourism

The enthusiasm for expedition cruises, the improvement of the welcome in ports of call and the recreational tourism development of waterways are three major trends in maritime and river tourism over the last two years.

Expedition cruises, a trendy niche

According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the growing popularity of Nordic destinations is among the major trends in the cruise industry. Customers, attracted by the Nordic experience, are looking for adventure cruises, even extreme ones. During the last edition of the largest annual event organized by the industry, Seatrade Cruise Global, airlines announced a significant increase in demand for cruise expeditions. Combining adventure, discovery and learning, these are carried out on board ships smaller than their ocean cousins. They dock in smaller ports, located in regions off the beaten track, such as the Canadian Arctic, Greenland or Alaska.

This offer is attracting a growing number of well-off travelers who are concerned about the environment and looking for transformational and experiential trips, as noted by CLIA. To meet demand, 26 ships are under construction, according to Cruise Industry News, both for established companies and for new players, the best known being Celebrity Cruises, Silversea, Hurtigruten, Hurtigruten, Quark Expeditions or Ponant. The latter plans to double its fleet by 2021, to have 12 expedition ships, including the world's first luxury icebreaker. As for Hurtigruten, a company present on the St. Lawrence River, in 2019 it will launch the first two hybrid ships of a new generation (see image below), which will be considered among the most environmentally friendly.

Among destinations, Alaska has been very popular among customers and companies for several years. Visited not only by expedition boats, but also by meganships that can carry up to 5,000 passengers, the region welcomed a record number of 41 ships and over 995,000 passengers in 2017. This popularity could very well spread to other Nordic destinations.

Destinations improve the reception of stopover passengers

Port authorities and host cities are stepping up their efforts to improve the experience of passengers visiting their destination. Based on the observation that cruise ship employees are regularly asked by their customers to find out about the tourist offer in the Norwegian city of Oslo, the organization Oslo Cruise Partners has produced a manual for them. The printout includes practical information, discount coupons, and freebies to improve the visiting experience for both passengers and crew members who want to explore the city.

For its part, the port of Aarhus, in Denmark, has chosen to welcome cruise passengers with a team of 1,300 volunteer local hosts. Wearing a blue sweater and a badge showing the inscription Ask me (Ask me), these residents guide cruise passengers through the city and attend cultural events with them.

The Nanaimo Port Authority on Vancouver Island has established a similar welcome policy for cruise passengers, the White Glove Service, in order to eliminate irritants during their visit. For example, a golf cart service takes people with reduced mobility to the terminal where they pass through customs. A free shuttle, offered to passengers and crew members, runs continuously throughout the day and stops at four points of interest. Volunteers, wearing identifiable clothing, are present along the route taken by the shuttle to answer questions and make recommendations for visits. According to the port authority, the new reception standards are based on the quality of the service of volunteers, proud ambassadors of their community and their region.

In Quebec, welcoming residents at ports of call on the St. Lawrence is the main factor in passenger satisfaction, according to a Ministry of Tourism study published in 2017. But reception is also a very present issue, due to the lack of financing for activities and the shortage of manpower.

Recreational and tourist development of watercourses

In North America as in Europe, cities and territories are committed to the tourist revitalization of their waterways and shores. They adopt a collaborative approach in order to promote the emergence of innovative projects. Last spring, New York State launched the “Reimagining the Canal” competition (Reimagine the Canals Competition) in order to visionary transform the State's network of canals into a source of economic and tourism development. Among the projects selected last May, Go the Distance aims to provide accommodation for boaters, Canal Winterlocks will allow winter activities to be organized on the Erie Canal and Intra-Works will offer art and sculpture installations aimed at forging a cultural identity for the canal network.

In France, the organization responsible for the tourist and cultural development of the Loire River estuary created the brand Estuary land, the Loire for all the senses, last spring. This initiative was created in order to promote 60 kilometers of shoreline and to group the tourist and cultural offers of the destination into thematic packages.

Quebec City launched its future development plan for the main rivers in its territory through an international competition of ideas in May 2017. Among other things, the plan will be used to highlight recreational tourism activities throughout the year on the Cap Rouge, Saint-Charles, Beauport and Montmorency rivers. The projects of the three winners of the competition Let's dream our rivers will guide municipal authorities in the development and implementation of a master plan to achieve several objectives, including:

- Improve the accessibility of rivers, while maintaining their quality;
- Exceed recreational limits and enjoy the four seasons;
- Strengthen citizens' sense of ownership of rivers and their surrounding environments;
- Link existing and future recreational tourism facilities;
- Highlighting culture and heritage.

These global trends, present both in Quebec and internationally, demonstrate the importance of the maritime and river sectors in the tourism industry.

Article originally published on the site of Tourism monitoring network