THE REAL PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN

Cruise line companies have implemented various strategies to encourage passengers to spend as much as possible while on their ships. One of the most common tactics is to offer a wide range of onboard stores, including duty-free shops, boutique clothing stores, souvenir shops, and luxury brand outlets. These stores are strategically located throughout the ship and offer a diverse selection of products to cater to the different interests and preferences of passengers.

In addition to the onboard stores, cruise lines also organize various events and activities that are designed to create opportunities for spending. These may include art auctions, spa treatments, specialty dining experiences, and onboard casinos. By providing a diverse range of options for entertainment and relaxation, cruise lines encourage passengers to indulge in additional purchases beyond the basic cost of the cruise ticket.

Furthermore, cruise lines also offer exclusive shore excursions and tours that can be pre-booked prior to arriving at the destination. These excursions often include activities such as snorkeling, zip-lining, or guided tours of local attractions. By offering these tours, cruise lines are able to generate additional revenue while providing passengers with convenient and curated experiences.

Ultimately, by providing passengers with a wide array of onboard shopping and entertainment options, cruise lines aim to minimize the amount of spending that passengers do once they disembark at their destination. While passengers may choose to engage in some sightseeing and a few pre-booked tours on land, the onboard offerings are designed to capture a significant portion of passengers’ discretionary spending.

As a result, cruise lines can maximize their revenue and provide a seamless and comprehensive vacation experience without actually fully taking in the local offerings of the port of call the Caribbean islands for their passengers while marketing the destinations as a selling point yet the Caribbean islands are not equally profitable because the spending ability of the passengers is grossly exhausted with shopping onboard before they ever step a foot on shore how can the Caribbean islands create a United strategy to mitigate the advantage that the cruise lines have in place? A few things come to mind like setting the prices for all pre-booked activities on shore to ensure the local operators benefit, also the only other revenue the local government sees is the fixed head tax which seems to be the glorified objective that  some of our elected leaders are championing.

MDR