Can cruising tourism be responsible

As a writer about the cruise industry -- one who is labeled as a critic by the industry itself -- I am frequently asked whether cruise tourism can be responsible and, even more frequently, what cruise line is the most responsible. While it is easy to point to technological innovations on several new ships, unfortunately no cruise line has made a commitment to retrofit its old tonnage to bring it in line with the advancements promoted as cutting edge found on their newer ships (although I do have to say that Norwegian Cruise Line was the first cruise line to retrofit all their ships with Advanced Wastewater Treatment Systems, and some niche operators such as Seadream Yacht Club have done the same).

Because there is much confusion between old ships versus new ships, and that students and customers alike tend to believe that that which is on the new ships is also on the new ships, I would suggest the first step the cruise industry can take toward being responsible is to become more transparent. Consumers and others should be able to know what environmental systems are on each ship operated by a cruise line (not just whether a system is a traditional Marine Sanitation Device (MSD) or Advanced Wastewater Treatment System (AWTS), but specifically what technology is on each ship and the operational standards of that system). They should also have accessible information about the economic relationship with ports (what is the standard commission charges for shore excursions and how much do shoreside shops normally pay to be included as "preferred" and therefore promoted onboard). And they should report, by ship, incidence of crime such as sexual assaults, physical assaults, thefts, and disappearances (this data should include information about who are the perpetrators and victims, and what proportion of sexual assault victims are minors).

While we can also expect the cruise industry to improve its behaviour in ways that make them more responsible, a first step is that there be greater transparency so we know not just what the industry is doing to appear responsible, but what they are not doing that indicates low achievement of responsibility.

Those who wish to view some of the problems associated with cruise tourism will find my website at cruisejunkie.com interesting. The best place to begin is the Events Page (www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html) and the page listing environmental violations and fine (www.cruisejunkie.com/envirofines.html). Cruise tourism is not inherently problematic, but given the industry is driven by its desire for profit it often takes shortcuts that create problems environmentally, economically as regards ports and broader communities, and socio-culturally.

Ross