Marti

International Centre for Cruise Research
A virtual centre for research and for researchers

Abstracts

Marti, Bruce E. "Cruise Line Logo Recognition," Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 2005, 18:1, 25-31

The North American cruise industry is experiencing a period of globalization and contraction. This study, via a survey instrument, tests the hypothesis that cruise line logos are not well recognized. It identifies factors that could lead to higher recognition rates, and discusses the importance of brand marketing as an industry matures. An analysis and interpretation of the results support the hypothesis. Major findings of the analysis were that a combination of specific logo characteristics and a respondent's familiarity with a particular cruise line or the overall cruise industry contribute to higher recognition rates.

Marti, B.E. "Trends in world and extended-length cruising (1985-2002)," Marine Policy, 2004, 28:3 (May),
199-211.

This paper documents recent activity of the world and extended-length cruise markets--a neglected area of research within the scholarly literature. A comparative empirical analysis is provided that identifies and reviews the status and trends of these two markets. It also tests and supports three broad hypotheses regarding cruise ship attributes and cruise characteristics. Additional findings of the research are reported regarding change.

Marti, B. E. "Marketing aspects of consumer purchasing behavior and customer satisfaction aboard the Royal Viking Queen," Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 1995, 4:4, 109-116

This article is the result of onboard marketing research performed for Royal Viking Line aboard the Royal Viking Queen cruise ship during the summer of 1993. Via focus groups, involving a total of 135 passengers, attributes of customer purchasing behaviour and customer satisfaction are examined. The findings conclude that Royal Viking Line patrons are pleased with their cruise experience. Passengers indicated that a cruise aboard the ship could best be described as excellent, luxurious, superior and great, in decreasing order of importance. Research also revealed a high passenger familiarity with the product offering, with some 35% of the passengers having taken at least one voyage on a past or present Royal Viking Line vessel, and nearly 50% previously sailing four or more times with the Line. These figures indicate a strong, loyal customer base, which bodes well for future marketing and sales campaigns.

Marti, B. E. "The cruise ship Vessel Sanitation Program," Journal of Travel Research, 1995, 33:4, 29-38

The Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) in the USA is a cooperative activity between the cruise ship industry and the Centers for Disease Control, Public Health Service and the US Department of Health and Human Services. Its purpose and goals are to achieve and maintain a level of sanitation that will lower the risk of gastrointestinal disease outbreaks and to assist the passenger line industry in its effort to provide a healthy environment for passengers and crew of cruise ships. The article examines the programme, discusses its relevance, and investigates whether physical and routing characteristics of cruise ships influence their vessel sanitation scores. It concludes that corporate and on-board ship management philosophies and practices, rather than cruise ship characteristics, are the major determinants of vessel sanitation scores.

Marti, B.E. "Cruise Line Brochures:: A Comparative Analysis of Lines Providing Caribbean Service," Journal of Travel and Tourism Marketing, 1993, 2:1, 31-52

This article quantitatively tests and confirms the hypothesis the generic messages, both in print and visuals, are prevalent within the sales literature (brochures) of the Caribbean cruise industry. It relies on a content analysis of the print messages (words) and a frequency analysis of the photographs contained in a sample of five cruise line brochures to support the hypothesis. An additional major finding of the analysis was that ‘brand character’ was relatively absent among the brochures. The implication of the lack of brand identity is that is hinders the effectiveness of cruise line marketing programs. Thus, it is suggested that photographs projecting specific corporate images, such as company logos or other unique shipboard characteristics that would lead to better product recognition, be incorporated more heavily in cruise line brochures.

Marti, B.E. "Cruise ship market segmentation: A 'non-traditional' port case study," Maritime Policy & Management, 1991, 18:2, 93-103

Market segmentation in the cruise ship industry is an essential tool for securing a favourable market share. A case study of a mid-sized vessel operating from a "non-traditional" port provides insights of the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of a cruise population. The questionnaire also supports the logic for a strong local/regional marketing effort and validates the rationale for the provision of a cruise service from a "non-traditional" port.

Marti, B.E. "Geography and the cruise ship port selection process," Maritime Policy & Management, 1990, 17:3, 157-164

The cruise ship industry is currently undergoing a period of rapid expansion. New cruise capacity threatens to produce overtonnaging, with future berths exceeding demand. Despite this development, cruise operators are confident that a growing North American market will be able to satisfy the equilibrium condition sought by vessel operators. This research explores where the new tonnage might be deployed and its eventual impact on the cruise industry. Geographic concepts are utilized to test and support the premise that geography contributes positively to the cruise port selection process. Itineraries, influenced by "site" and "situation", are presently still the most important factor affecting cruise port selection.