Prof. Dr. Alexis Papathanassis

Transcription

1 Prof. Dr. Alexis Institut für Maritimen Tourismus Papathanassis E-Tourism Cruise Management & Prof. Dr. Alexis Papathanassis CruiseT Workshop Varna Free University Varna, 21 st April 2015

2 From Ship-Building and Fisheries... To Tourism!

3 1827: City founded (Sold to Joahann Schmidt from King Georg of Hannover) 1832: Shipping route to the US Mass Emigration to the New World (7 Mil Pax) 1896: Fischerei Hafen was built. Development of Fishing and Shipbuilding 1960: Economic crisis (US Bases close, shipbuilding suffers), industrialisation of fish production 1970-Today: Severe unemployment & social problems Economic transformation hopes based on container business, windenergy and tourism

4 Amsterdam Berlin Hannover

5 Havenwelten & Fischereihafen

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10 Visitors Bremrhaven Attraction Visitors Year Bremen Tourism: 2013: 1.7 Mil Overnight Stays Day Visitors Av / Day Overnight Guests Av / Day 80% of Tourists come from Germany 70% of Visitors are Business Travellers Bremerhaven Hotel overnight stays: 2012: 359, : 352,410 * Data Source: ** Data Source:

11 Destination Image: Bremerhaven s city image within Germany / German media focus on social problems Regional Competition: Regional tourism competition (Hamburg, Cuxhaven, Bremen, Rostock) Politics with the city of Bremen Tourism Income & Benefits: Visitor numbers declining vs. Costs of maintaining attractions (Climate House and Emigration Center) Leisure visitors are mostly day-tourists and highly seasonal (only summer) Limited benefits for local retail Hotel overnight stays also seasonal depending on events (e.g. Ship repairs, new ship inauguration)

12 The Columbus Cruise Terminal

13 Location: City centre: 2 kilometres Airport (regional): 15 minutes to Bremerhaven Airport (international): 25 minutes to Nordholz, 45 minutes to Bremen Railway station: direct at the cruise terminal Bremerhaven main station 10 minutes Terminal Facilities: Parking spaces for approx. 380 cars directly at the terminal and approx. 500 parking spaces within meters Covered bus terminal with parking space for 20 busses and a digital guidance system Weather-protected gangways of different length Three waiting-rooms on different levels for approx passengers internet café café with a view of the cruise vessels and the Weser Public Transport Options: Public bus stop directly in front of the terminal A dedicated railway connection Taxi rank in front of the building

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18 Num of Passengers Bremerhaven Port: Passenger Movements Passenger-Shipping represents a minimal proportion of the port s activities In 2013, Bremerhaven Port handled arrivals / departures in total. Of those: Most were from Container Ships: 3,456 Those from passenger Ships (Cruise Vessels) were only Source Data:

19 Capacity Utilisation: Declining number of cruise passengers embarking & disembarking Dependence on mainly German cruise operators (Phoenix) targeting German silveragers, travelling to routes in the North Sea and / or Baltic Sea Efforts to develop alternative uses for the terminal during off-season Interface to Tourist Attractions: There are good public transport possibility to the city centre Industrial atmosphere when exiting the terminal Too far to reach the city on foot Regional Competition: Many cruise operators favour Hamburg and Warnemünde (Berlin) as ports of call German tour operators have their homeports in other nearby cities (e.g. AIDA in Rostock, TUI Cruises in Hamburg)

20 An Issue of Tourism Planning & Strategy

21 Destination Image / USPs Have you ever heard of Bremerhaven or any of its attractions? Would you visit Bremerhaven? Complete the sentence: Tourism-wise Bremerhaven stands for... Competition How is Bremerhaven to regionally position and market itself against Hamburg and Berlin? How is Bremerhaven to internationally position itself as a cruise destination? Tourism Income & Benefits How can a city like Bremerhaven benefit from tourism in general? What does this case tell us about tourism development (transition from industrial economy to an incoming tourism economy)? Hardware (Cruise Port & Museums) What could be done to improve the utilisation of the cruise terminal? Under what conditions can the attractions maintain visitors (sustainability)?

22 A Traditional Framework: Top-Down Management by Objectives

23 Tourism Strategy Context Socio-Economic Development Key Expected Benefits Living Standards / Quality of Life City Attractiveness Local Economy Indicator Groups Locals Buying Power Employment Criminality / Social Problems Demographic restructuring Tax Income Private investment Development Activities / Policies Infrastructure Investments Sales & Distribution Seasonality & Capacity Management Destination Marketing & Promotion Governance & Internal Organisation Accessibility Connection between the tourism areas of the city Parking / Public Transportation Information Centres in the City s Entry Points Renewal of existing Attractions Integration of regional attractions to the city s offering Representative welcome centre & Info points Extended opening times Online content & improved booking possibilities Tourism card All-weather destination development Increase of overnight stays Specific tourism segment offerings and holiday forms (Bicycle Tourism, Mobile Homes, sport tourism) Theming and Events (Fishparty, Plattdeutsch Festival, Sail Festival) Positioning USPs Branding (City Logo, Mascot) Citizens as City Ambassadors Distribution of tourism income Restructuring of tourism responsibilities Forums for tourism businesses & Stakeholders Cooperation with other regional authorities Educational offer for guides and service staff

24 We forgot the Guests... Planning and Fine-tuning Tourism Infrastructure and Resources is not Managing the Holiday Experience!

25 Visitors Facilities / Attractions Macro- Economic Indicators Demographics Motivation to travel Intention to re-visit Capacity utilisation / Seasonality Overnight stays Tourism-income Satisfaction Average tourism spending Diffusion of income into local economy Local economy KPIs (e.g. Disposable income, Unemployment-, criminalitystatistics, etc.) We understand the Who and What... But to draft an effective strategy ( How ) we need to understand causalities ( Why ) This type of data collection serves operational monitoring... But not strategic development purposes.

26 Knowing what we can and want to offer, does not mean that people will buy it. Growth is not just about existing customers, but about potential ones.

27 Alternative Framework: Bottom-Up Development Architecture

28 Information Search Holiday Selection Fulfilment Reservation Enrichments Reminiscence Identifying the need for a holiday Obtaining information about holiday possibilities / options and details Deciding on the decision frame: Consciously Unconsciously Comparing Booking and alternatives on the financing the basis of: holiday Own requirements Others requirements Of own perceptions of others requirements Combining alternatives Making compromises Consuming the core services of a holiday. E.g: Transport Accom/tion Catering Excursions Additional noncore services of a holiday. E.g: Insurance Entertainment Travel literature Events Remembering and sharing holiday experiences with others. E.g: Photos Souvenirs Videos Tourists will come and spend money because they expected and had a great holiday experience...not because the destination has a lot to offer!

29 Holiday Utility Levers Efficiency & Effectiveness Simplicity Convenience Fun & Image Info Search Tourist-Experience Cycle Holiday Selection Reservation Fulfilment Enrichments Reminiscence Systematic Gap Analysis: As- Is vs. To-Be Safety & Security Environmental- Friendliness Strategy Development & Market Research Potential (Ex Ante Opportunity) Current Strategy Development & Market Research Focus (Ex Post Performance)

30 Hospitality Culture Development: Bremerhaven Smile for me & Tourist in the own Town Campaigns

31 Holiday Utility Levers Efficiency & Effectiveness Simplicity Convenience Fun & Image Safety & Security Environmental- Friendliness Info Search Tourist-Experience Cycle Holiday Selection Development Project Potential Strategy Development & Market Research Potential (Ex Ante Opportunity) Reservation Fulfilment Enrichments Reminiscence Current BHV Tourism Activity Focus: Content and Accessibility of Attractions Development Project Potential Project Example: Fostering a Welcoming Culture in Bremerhaven (Internal Marketing Campaign) Maintenance Project Potential Current Strategy Development & Market Research Focus (Ex Post Performance)

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33 Tourism Strategy Plan? Numerous Stakeholders / Business Players / Decision-makers Democratic / Political Discontinuity Populism Influence on tourism regulation Tourism Strategy Implementation

34 Strategy papers, frameworks and policies work for those who develop them... The rest do whatever they like anyway. Strategy as emergence and destination-development as a guest-centric architecture

35 Research Functions: - Founder & Chairman of the Cruise Research Society ( - Co-Director of the Institute for Maritime Tourism (IMT) ( - Editorial Board Member of the Journal of the European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation (EJTHR) ( - Reviewer of the Tourism Management Journal ( Administrative Functions: - Dean of Studies Faculty of Business & Economics - Chairman of the CIM Examinations Committee - Member of the CIM Study Affairs Committee