Western North American Cruise Shipping Network: Space Structure and System

Regionalization is the basic feature of cruise shipping network organization. We insist that the cruise networks of Alaska, Hawaii, etc., have developed into a whole with the scaling up of cruise tourism. To prove it, we used complex network analysis methods to explore the port connections and the spatial structure of the cruise shipping network in these regions. We found that Alaska, Hawaii, and the west coast of Mexico all belong to seasonal cruise market areas. Cruise itineraries in these areas are categorized into one-way and round-trip itineraries, and more than 70% of the itineraries are short duration and medium duration. These areas build cruise shipping networks used in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Anchorage, San Francisco, Honolulu, and other cruise ports, which can be subdivided into nine single-core cruise shipping network systems and two dual-core cruise shipping network systems. The interconnection of different systems forms a T-shaped cruise shipping network in geographical space.