The use of websites by Mediterranean tourist ports

This paper aims to explore the use of websites by tourist ports to assess whether they support ports in communicating their image and provide information and services to actual and potential customers. An analysis of 129 tourist ports websites from ten Mediterranean countries was conducted using the 2QCV3Q model, a multi-purpose qualitative evaluation tool based on experts’ judgements. The findings show that tourist ports’ websites are typically beautiful and well-managed, give ports a clear image and link them with the local territory; however, sample websites are only partially user-friendly, offer limited room for interaction and fail to provide all the expected information and services to the visitors. This research provides an unprecedented picture of the use and quality of websites by tourist ports located in the Mediterranean Sea and offers a robust and exhaustive assessment tool that might be of interest to researchers. The tool might also help managers of tourist ports to improve their websites by making them more business- and customer-oriented.