Are we poles apart? Stakeholders’ cooperation and decision-making in on-land cruise tourism in Iceland and New Zealand

Abstract

The rapid growth of the global cruise ship industry in tourism has been evident in New Zealand in the southern hemisphere and Iceland in the northern hemisphere, where both countries have experienced a substantial increase in cruise ship arrivals at a growing number of ports. Although the two countries are geographically very far apart, they do share various similarities in their tourism. Within the framework of stakeholder theory and using an interpretivist, case-study methodology, the aim of this research is to explore similarities and differences in the issues facing stakeholders in on-land cruise services in New Zealand and Iceland, and to evaluate stakeholders’ levels of participation in decision-making in their respective cruise sectors. The population of Napier is 61 100, whereas Akureyri’s population is merely 18 500. However, both destinations receive similar numbers of cruise passengers, or around 100 000 in the 2016/2017 New Zealand season, 2017 Icelandic season. Findings provide general insights into on-land cruise services, and the co-existence of land-based tourism and cruise tourism in rural and urban areas. Furthermore, the overall research findings indicate that although the two destinations differ in their population, main attractions and geographical location, they seem not that far apart in the opportunities and challenges facing the local stakeholders and the decision-making processes of their cruise sectors.

Keywords: cruise tourism, Iceland, New Zealand, stakeholders