Safety Perceptions in the Cruise Sector: A Grounded Theory Approach

A study undertaken by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) revealed that cruises are perceived as relatively safe in comparison to other holiday alternatives; especially by those who have already been on a cruise. The ‘safe’ image of cruises is promoted by the industry due to its importance for a care-free holiday experience and is arguably a key selling proposition for tour operators in general. Nevertheless, and possibly as a result of this, safety and well-being during holidays are underrated issues in tourism research (Bentley & Page, 2008). Over the last decade, the continuous growth of the cruise industry has been characterised by increasing capacities and the accompanied motivation of attracting new target groups. It could be asserted reasonably that larger vessels, increasing passenger volumes, new itineraries and new customer groups are accompanied by a new, somewhat amplified, safety-related risk environment; actual as well as perceived. The increasing significance of personal safety in the cruise industry calls for a better understanding of safety-related human behaviour and perceptions in this context. Hence, the aim of this paper is to explore and identify the factors influencing cruisers’ behaviour and perceptions with regard to safety. In order to construct a tentative model of safety perception determinants, a Grounded Theory (abbr. GT - Glaser & Strauss, 1967) approach was adopted. A total of eight GT interviews were conducted, involving a diverse group of respondents. Our research suggests that there are three types of factors influencing individual cruisers’ perceptions of safety: (1) destination-related perceptions (incident awareness, cultural familiarity); (2) visual cues (security personnel, security procedures); and (3) individual characteristics (travelling experience, personality traits). Apart from constructing a tentative model to facilitate further empirical work, our research reveals that safety perceptions in the cruise sector primarily concern visited destinations, rather than the vessel itself. Our findings suggest that the philosophy and scope of cruise operators’ conventional security policies and practices require reconsideration.