Cruise passengers' behavior at the destination: Investigation using GPS technology

Abstract

This paper aims at segmenting cruise passengers in order to identify passengers' profiles according to their behavior at destination. Through an integrated use of traditional survey instruments and of GPS technologies, a set of indicators for the analysis of passengers' mobility at destination is proposed. Data collected in the port of Palermo are used in order to investigate space-time activities of cruise passengers at the destination. Monothetic Analysis is used in order to segment passengers according to their behavior at destination, and groups are then compared in terms of socio-demographic characteristics and other variables collected through questionnaire-based survey. Results identify seven different broad patterns of activity, and indicate that several socio-demographic characteristics and other features of passengers seem to be associated with movement patterns at destination. A better knowledge of cruise passengers' behavior at destination is a fundamental pre-requisite in order to better serve visitors' needs and meet their expectations.