Coastal and Maritime Tourism for Blue Growth Informal Joint Contribution by European Cruise organisations Cruise industry generates In Europe almost €38 billion1 in goods and services and provides more than 327,000 direct and indirect jobs from the shipyards and marine equipment producers to employment in ports and coastal communities. It thus makes a significant contribution to the real economy. More Europeans than ever booked a cruise in 2012 with the number reaching a record of 6.139 million. The continuing positive growth has resulted in a doubling of the size of the global cruise market over the past 10 years. About CLIA Europe CLIA Europe is the association representing the leading cruise companies operating in Europe. CLIA Europe is the European section of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the world's largest cruise industry trade association with representation in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australasia. CLIA represents the interests of cruise lines, travel agents, port authorities and destinations, and various industry business partners before regulatory and legislative policy makers. CLIA Europe’s membership comprises 29 cruise members and 42 associate members representing nearly 100% of the industry. 1
Total output for 2012, according to: CLIA Europe “The cruise industry, Contribution of cruise tourism to the economies of Europe”, 2013 Edition http://www.europeancruisecouncil.com/content/CLIA%20Europe%20Economic%20Impact%20Report%202013%
20Edition.pdf 1 About MedCruise MedCruise is the Association of Cruise ports in the Mediterranean and its adjoining seas. Set up in Rome in 1996, MedCruise has grown to 72 members representing more than 100 ports around the Mediterranean region, including the Black Sea, the Red Sea and the Near Atlantic, plus 30 associate members, representing other associations, tourist boards and ship/port agents. Its port membership represents approximately 90% of cruise port activities in the region. Coastal and maritime tourism 1. Permanent platforms on cruise tourism At the local level the promotion of coastal and marine tourism requires close cooperation between relevant stakeholders. The European Commission could create a permanent, structured forum/platform of discussion bringing together cruise industry, port authorities and regional/local actors. The creation of such a structured platform would allow the industry to liaise closely with all relevant stakeholders to address current challenges and to encourage best practice sharing. In particular, such a platform’s structure and work should be managed considering specific tourism themes accordingly with the list of priorities agreed between the authorities and cruise sector stakeholders, discuss agreed actions/evaluate their implementation and create synergies between stakeholders. 2 Tourism accounts for 5% of Europe’s GDP, and generates between 12 and 14 million jobs2. Furthermore, tourism is a horizontal sector, which concerns several aspects of policy making such as, among others, transport, industry, passengers and consumers’ rights, and visa policy. For cruise industry the setting up of such a Coastal and Maritime Tourism Expert Group at the EU level bringing together EU and National/local decision makers and tourism and cruise industry stakeholders is of paramount importance in order to ensure tourism is better mainstreamed in all EU policies and that tourism issues are taken into consideration in the decision-­‐making process3. 2. Better procedures for tourist visas Burdensome application procedures for short-­‐stay Schengen visas deter 21% of potential tourists from visiting Europe every year4. We therefore welcome the ongoing revision of the Visa Code and the emphasis it puts on facilitating tourist visa applications. Cruise itineraries in Europe often include ports of call located both inside and outside the Schengen area. Simplified visa issuance procedures for tourists are therefore crucial for both the cruise industry and ports, in particular as regards multi-­‐entry visas, required documents, time and cost of the application, better implementation of current rules by the MSs, and optimized role of consular services. 2
Eurostat: Data from 2012 (EU 27) http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/statistics_explained/index.php/Tourism_trends 3CLIA Europe sees the Tourism Sustainability Group (SGT), set up by the European Commission in 2004, a good example of platform gathering together international bodies, MS, regional and local authorities, the tourism industry, professional bodies etc. 4
“Europe: open for business? Reopening the debate on visa policy”, ETOA 2010 http://www.etoa.org/docs/visa-­‐reports/2010_origin-­‐markets-­‐report.pdf?sfvrsn=2 3 It is also important that any regulatory framework applying to ports hosting vessels arriving from both Schengen and non-­‐Schengen areas allow for the essential implementation flexibility, in order to avoid interference with commercial interests. Cruise ship passengers are not the only ones leaving an economic footprint on local/coastal communities. Crew spending is one of several ways cruise ships calling European ports create an economic impact on the local economy: 6.1 million seafarers working on board disembarked in European ports in 2012 and made purchases totaling an estimated €130 million5. Hence, the importance of improving procedures for obtaining short-­‐stay visas for crew. 3. Ensure effective infrastructures and land connections Fostering ports facilities efficiency and competitiveness is of paramount importance for cruise lines. This needs the involvement of the public and private sector and continued large-­‐scale investment. Cruise lines operate in a globally competitive market and the industry is by definition mobile, so it requires a business-­‐friendly environment. Port Facilities In terms of sustainability, both the regions visited by cruise ships and their passengers expect cruise ships to operate in an environmentally-­‐friendly manner. One of the most visible areas where this is necessary is in the handling of solid waste. Passengers are aware that they are not allowed to throw anything overboard, 5 CLIA Europe “The cruise industry, Contribution of cruise tourism to the economies of Europe”, 2013 Edition http://www.europeancruisecouncil.com/content/CLIA%20Europe%20Economic%20Impact%20Report%
202013%20Edition.pdf See also Joint DG Home Affairs and DG Enterprise and Industry Communication of 7 November 2012 on the “Implementation and development of the common visa policy to spur growth in the EU”COM(2012) 649 final. 4 they read about green projects all over the ship, they know that they have to sort their waste and that the ship’s crew separates it into multiple waste streams. They have a right to expect that these streams remain separate when they are landed to reception facilities in the ports. This is currently far from guaranteed. Measures to ensure this form of sustainability should therefore be included in the forthcoming directive on waste reception facilities and in the revision of the solid waste directive. It should be recognised that the proper provision of port reception facilities across all berths within a port and available 24/7 is also a pre-­‐requisite to any serious attempts to improve congestion and berth allocation procedures. Land Connections Cruise tourism allows tourists to explore many landmark European destinations, but also to access a variety of smaller or remote islands and coastal destinations. However, cruise tourism is not only about ports of call. Cruise lines and travel agents organise shore excursions to allow cruise passengers to explore the destinations and their surroundings. Nonetheless, lack of adequate onshore transport infrastructure connecting often prevents shore excursions from reaching interesting destinations or landmarks. Better connections between cruise terminals and the hinterland would add to the tourists’ experience while having a positive impact on the economy of the region as a whole. In this context it is important to keep in mind that cruise tourists spend on average €626 at each port on their cruise itinerary. This figure goes up to €77 for embarkation port cities, while seafarers make an average a purchase of nearly 21.50€ per crew visit. The use of the Union’s structural and regional funds in order to 6
CLIA Europe, Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the Economies of Europe, 2013 Edition 5 improve transport infrastructure not only for freight, but also for passenger transport, should therefore be further explored. 4. Promotion of cruise tourism and development of new destinations Cruise tourism experienced unprecedented growth in the past 10 years. Global demand for cruising grew from 11.1 million passengers worldwide in 2002, to 20.9 million in 20127. There is still significant potential for further growth, especially when looking at emerging source markets for passengers. While, as mentioned above, visa policy plays an important role in bringing new cruise tourists to Europe, more can be done to further promote cruise tourism in Europe. The promotion of Europe as a tourist destination has been a priority for the Commission in the recent years. We welcome recent Commission initiatives such as “Europe – Whenever you’re ready”, and its support to the European Travel Commission’s website “visiteurope.com”, which promote the diversity of Europe’s tourist destinations. Against this background, further promotion of cruise tourism as an important part of Europe’s tourist offer would effectively complement the industry’s effort to attract new visitors to Europe. Improving the attractiveness of archaeological sites One of Europe’s biggest assets in attracting foreign tourists is its history, in the form of historic or archaeological sites. Famous archaeological sites, even if well conserved, are often boring, badly explained, often in one or maybe two languages, difficult and unpleasant to visit and lacking in material telling the story of the great 7
A Global Industry,CLIA Europe “The cruise industry, Contribution of cruise tourism to the economies of Europe”, 2013 Edition http://www.europeancruisecouncil.com/content/CLIA%20Europe%20Economic%20Impact%20Report%202013%
20Edition.pdf 6 events they hosted. There is much room for the encouragement of curatorial best practice at such sites, the design of explanatory materials and souvenirs, and the provision of audio material in languages such as Russian, Chinese and Japanese8. An EU programme encouraging experimentation and the exchange of best practice. e. g. in Southern Europe could be launched. Promoting local production In order to encourage local artists and artisans, each destination port should have an outlet, selling their products to cruise passengers as well as other visitors. How could their development be encouraged? Making the most of maritime heritage Visitors who arrive by sea can be expected to be particularly interested by the maritime heritage of a destination. A project (e. g. in the form of a website) providing information on all such attractions could be supported 9. 5. Destination management Congestion at marquee destinations Every cruise includes at least one destination, which the passengers regard as a “must”. Examples include Rome (from Civitavecchia), Florence (usually from Livorno), Venice, Dubrovnik, Athens (Piraeus), Santorini, etc. In all these cases, but also in many more all around Europe, the most popular sights are subject to major congestion, which reduces the quality of the visiting experience for the customer 8In the last four years, the number of Russian and Chinese visitors to the EU has doubled and flows from India are also increasing rapidly. 9Or e. g. an annual award for the best new maritime heritage project. (ESPO award, devoted to heritage this year, will not be repeated.) 7 and reduces the number of visitors who can be accommodated. If these major attractions are to continue to be popular and to grow in terms of the tourism revenue they generate, thought will need to be given to managing both their supply and their demand. To be effective, any tourism management schemes will need to be holistic in their approach and deal with the full range of tourism transport including railways, buses, aircraft and private vehicles. Ensuring that cruise tourism forms a key part of this holistic overview, while avoiding any measures that seek to restrict or reduce tourism from only one transport mode, will be fundamental to success in this area. In terms of managing tourist flows, consideration should be given to extending their opening hours and eliminating their closing days. This would increase supply, improve the experience, and encourage cruise ships to offer evening tours and therefore stay overnight in the port, thus delivering increased revenue to local shops and restaurants. Pre-­‐booking systems for groups are also part of such congestion management and are already common. It is also true that as cruise lines include more destinations in their itineraries this can help to relieve pressure on the most popular. The question is how much more can be done, how can the EU encourage it, and how can best practice be spread. In principle a good way to reduce congestion in marquee destinations would be to promote and offer to passengers shore excursions to less well-­‐known destinations and sights reachable from the same port. This might require a greater effort by regions to promote a regional identity rather than concentrating on the most popular city. Given the number of repeat cruisers on any given ship this could also add to the attractiveness of a cruise that includes a marquee destination some passengers may well have already visited on several occasions. 8 Another problem that affects cruise excursions and reduces their attractiveness is traffic congestion on the way from the port to the destination. Excursion coaches should be given access to priority traffic lanes to reduce this as much as possible along with other simple measures such as enhanced traffic management at key choke points on entry/exit routes. The European Commission might facilitate the development of stakeholders and regional authorities dialogue in Europe and its neighbouring countries, aiming to advance long-­‐term solutions that serve the interests of all parties and advance further expansion of cruise activities. 9