Cruisers' intention of returning to European destinations: A regression analysis

Repeat visitation is regarded as a desirable phenomenon in destination marketing. This topic takes on a particular interest in cruise tourism, where the first visit may depend on the cruise itinerary. This paper investigates cruise passengers' intention to revisit European destinations. It is based on the results of a wider study conducted by the Costa Group, Deloitte, and the Universities of Genoa and Hamburg, which assesses the direct, indirect, and induced impact of the Costa Group and its supply-chain in Europe. In this study, we developed an online questionnaire survey for guests who had cruised with Costa and AIDA ships in 2018 to 12 ports in six European countries. This paper focuses on the results of the questionnaire delivered to Costa cruisers (21,985 responders) to investigate their intention to return. We adopted a logistic regression and found that the probability of cruisers returning depends positively on factors such as the geographic area of residence, visit duration, and expenditure ashore. Our research suggests that cruises are drivers for land-based tourism and fuel a desire among cruisers to revisit destinations. Finally, we present management recommendations for policymakers and destinations managers to develop win–win territorial marketing strategies with cruise industry.