For tourists who like to return from their vacations with their mobile phones full of photos of different cities, cruises are much more than a comfortable travel option. Cruises are a business, first and foremost. Before the pandemic hit, it was a large, prosperous and thriving industry that generated billions of dollars in annual revenue in 2019 and hoped to reach 10% more travelers by the end of this decade. But two dark clouds loom on the horizon: the environmental footprint and the tourism phobia that has led to some controversial incidents in Spain in recent months.

Companies in the sector are aware of the problem and are already warning that they will not be alarmed if they have to rethink their routes and docking ports.

What happened? The cruise industry’s warning to seafarers has never been better expressed than this: the industry is keen to re-route to avoid destinations marked by tourismphobia, putting travellers at risk of similar incidents to those that have already occurred in Barcelona. A group of neighbours confronted the tourists and opened fire with water cannons.

There was no warning from anyone. It was initiated by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), which includes companies such as MSC Cruises, American Cruise Lines, Crystal, Disney Cruise Line and Norwegian.

The example of France. The message that Marie-Caroline Laurent, CLIA’s European director, wants to convey is clear. Speaking to reporters this week, she left two messages for those in the know. First, that cruise ships have stopped sailing to two towns in France after “small groups of violent people” berated tourists disembarking. Second, that the sector is more than willing to take similar measures if it encounters incidents of tourism phobia that could affect its business.

No major destinations“It should not be ruled out that there is a direct impact of riots or some demonstrations, especially violent ones,” Laurent warned in statements reported by the Europa Press and Reuters agencies, adding: “The possibility of adapting routes is that, for some reason, not all passengers will be treated well.”

He is not the only one sending this message. Virginia Messina, Director of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), also reminded that in a time when there are so many options as cruise lines, companies have ample space to avoid controversial cities: “There are much bigger offers for tourists and there are other places they can travel to where they are not welcome.

A cake for many customers. The idea put forward by Messina is fundamental to understanding the scenario. The cruise sector is a sector that is developing with a turnover level of billions of dollars, has managed to exceed pre-pandemic levels and expects strong growth in the short term, even expanding its transatlantic fleet. This also explains why it is a very controversial sector. Both internationally and on the Spanish coast.

Alfredo Serrano, director of CLIA Spain, explained in a conversation with a journalist that companies are already “making an effort” to plan trips to ports that have been equipped with infrastructure over the years and have managed to make room for new ports. Beyond Barcelona, ​​they are on the circuits of A Coruña, Alicante, Almería, Cádiz, Bilbao, Cartagena, Ceuta or Ferrol. Overall, the sector expects ship visits to increase by 5% this year, a relevant increase, but lower than the 13% expected for the arrival of visitors in the summer months.

Far beyond Spain. The competition is not just happening at the national level. Serrano recalled that countries like Saudi Arabia are making “million-dollar investments” to attract tourists, while in some parts of Spain the sector is struggling. “The dialogue with the Barcelona council is complicated, which will lead to cancellations and tourist dissatisfaction, for example.” His statements came after the city’s mayor, Jaume Collboni, proposed measures a few months ago to reduce the influx of cruise ships.

The importance of contextThe message the cruise industry is sending is important in its content and form, but above all in its context. The statements also bring tourism phobia to the forefront of the Spanish public debate, after the Canary Islands, Mallorca, Madrid and Catalonia hosted demonstrations to protest tourist overcrowding and its impact on the housing market.

The most controversial of all was probably the march held in Barcelona, ​​​​an undisputed reference point in the European cruise tour. There, a demonstration was held in Barcelona, ​​​​in which some residents shot water guns at tourists. The image was so strange that it appeared in newspapers and television in the United Kingdom and the United States.

Beyond Spain. Although Spain plays an important role in the international tourist cycle due to its weight and future projection, the truth is that it is not the only country where tourismphobia has gained spatial importance. In Japan, another destination that has reached record numbers due to the value of the yen, there are cities that have chosen to impose limits on their visitors or block the view of Fuji in order to avoid crowds.

Measures along similar lines have been adopted in Seoul, Venice and Amsterdam. In fact, in the Dutch capital, another key point on the European cruise route, the flow of such ships through the city has also been rethought.

The (other) big debate in the industry. Turophobia isn’t the only controversy plaguing cruises. Equally serious, if not more so, is its enormous environmental footprint. Three years ago, a group of researchers from Spain, the United Kingdom and Croatia spoke out to warn of the “serious, growing and ongoing impact” of cruise tourism on the environment.

And they did it with a devastating truth: According to their analysis, a large cruise ship can leave a daily carbon footprint that exceeds that of 12,000 vehicles, and a ship with 2,700 passengers produces a tonne of garbage every day. The industry is aware of this handicap, and one of the ideas it insists on is working to make its boats sustainable.

Image | Danielle Suijkerbuijk (Unsplash) and HS Spending (Unsplash)

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