Nakreu: Evaluations of Cruise Passengers' Attitudes Towards Sustainability in Cruise Contexts

Abstract

In the pursuit of sustainability in tourism, a rethink is necessary. The individual decision-making process merits more attention, because it is decisive for sustainable behavior both in a regulated environment as in noncodified contexts. This is particularly true in those areas that are experiencing high growth rates and are thus developing rapidly—partly controlled, partly uncontrolled—as can currently be observed in the cruise segment. Attitudes are to be understood as the basis for decisions. Once one has gained an understanding of these, one knows starting points for tapping sustainability potentials. Because little attention has been paid to this connection so far, this research note is primarily intended to present the theoretical background considerations of the "NaKreu" study, which was carried out in cooperation with TUI Cruises in 2019 in order to explore the attitudes of cruise passengers towards sustainability. In this, sustainability potentials in the segment are attributed to an interest in change, an ability to change, and structural factors. Additionally, sustainability is discussed as a quality facet of cruises. The present contribution introduces the methodical procedure of the project and gives an insight into its first results: By applying a mixed-methods approach, it can be shown that the attitudes of cruise passengers are generally neutral positive, but at the same time are permeated by strong skepticism. It is concluded that customers face the dilemma of a double claim. The results are to be interpreted as representative for the concrete project context; a transfer from the German-centered perspective of the project is still pending.