In this sense, so far this year a total of 117,420 cruise passengers have docked at the capital's dock, who have been able to enjoy the enormous beauty of the Island, even if only for a couple of hours before setting sail again aboard the various cruises that transported them to Lanzarote. These figures are 7.69% lower than those recorded during the first seven months of 2004, when the number of cruise passengers exceeded 127,000. Despite this, the Island remains in a privileged position in terms of the preferences of cruise tourists, since only the Port of Santa Cruz de Tenerife receives a greater number of vessels of this type per year.
The importance of this type of tourist lies in the fact that they are visitors with high purchasing power, and it is estimated that they leave benefits three times greater than conventional tourists.
Habits, motivations and satisfaction of cruise tourists visiting the islands
According to a recent study sponsored by the Interreg III-B community program, and based on 7,000 interviews with cruise passengers who visited some of the Canary ports, the couple is the most common travel group among cruise tourists, however, it is observed that the size of the group is larger this season and family and friends are frequent companions. In general, the most important aspect of the cruise once chosen is to get to know a variety of islands, followed by experiencing the cruise.
A greater number of activities on land
During stopovers, the vast majority of cruise tourists who disembark visit the city and go shopping. This season it is observed that tourists have been more active during stopovers, carrying out a greater number of activities on land, with differences in behavior being recorded depending on the country of origin.
Cruise tourists who visit the Island usually do so on an organized excursion contracted, to a greater extent, on board the cruise. The component of the excursions varies depending on the island; the combination of commercial and ethnographic character stands out.
Likewise, as the status of passengers increases, they show greater interest in purchasing local products, handicrafts, etc., with the most competitive prices valued by passengers of lower status losing importance. Nationality is another variable that marks differences in the interest of purchases; British and Scandinavian people preponderate competitive prices, while Germans, Italians and Spaniards value local products, handicrafts, etc. to a greater extent.
Another curious statistic is that 4 out of 10 cruise tourists walk from the port to the city when they disembark from the ship, hence the importance of preparing the accesses; cleaning, signage, security, etc. Despite this, taxis are also a transport service very demanded by cruise tourists, both to visit the city and to take an excursion around the Island. Sometimes, it is the first impression of the destination or their only contact with local service providers, which is of vital importance in their experience of the visit.
Average spending level
The average spending level per tourist who arrives to the islands aboard a cruise was situated in the 2003-2004 season at 61.40 euros, which represents an increase of 14 euros of spending per person compared to the spending recorded in the 2001-2002 season. The highest spending is on purchases (30 €), followed by food and beverages (12 €) and transport (10 €). In this sense, it is estimated that in the year 2004 cruise tourists may have spent around 55 million euros in the islands. This figure could be completed with other income derived from cruise tourism such as the spending of the crew or the expenses of provisioning the ship.
High satisfaction
Finally, satisfaction with the port areas of the islands is high and increases considerably in the aspects of cleanliness and hygiene, organization, services and infrastructures, and is slightly reduced in security. The Port of Las Palmas stands out for its high satisfaction rates and is positioned as the best port in the Islands.
In this sense, it is observed that the works carried out in the Santa Catalina Dock have had an effect on cruise passengers, since the Port of Las Palmas received low satisfaction rates during the 2001-2002 season that it has managed to recover during this season. On the other hand, the Port of Rosario is the one that registers the least satisfaction among passengers, at the same time it is the last port to join the area and the least prepared for the reception of cruises to date.
Satisfaction with organized excursions is high, with the quality of the food and drink offered and especially the opportunity to purchase during the excursions being the aspects that generate the least satisfaction.
Seven out of ten tourists would repeat the cruise and 97% would recommend it. Likewise, 9 out of 10 would visit the islands on another occasion as a traditional tourist and 94% would recommend the tourist destination.
