The current state of cruise tourism and its trends. River cruises in Europe What is cruise tourism

cruise tourism passenger service

The idea of \u200b\u200bresting on the water and in sea travel has been known since the days of the ancient Romans and Greeks. Island countries and countries with archipelagos and long coastlines, such as Greece, actively used sea transport for passenger transport. The intensification of the cruise business began in the middle of the 19th century during the era of the formation of tourism. The beginning of sea recreation was laid in England. In 1835, pleasure flights were organized and operated regularly between Britain and Ireland. Thomas Cook actively used in his practice the organization of all types of sea travel, and one of the most popular flights was the route from the UK to the Black Sea.

The cruise business got its true heyday only in the 70s of the XXth It was then that the idea of \u200b\u200bcruise travel, very attractive and rich in entertainment, was realized in the USA. This program targeted middle-class Americans who gave shipping companies lucrative jobs. The organization of sea cruises quickly became a lucrative tourism business. This is due to a new concept of cruise tourism service methodology, which was put forward and implemented by the chief marketing officer of the Carnival cruise company Bob Dickenson, who previously served at Ford.

By this time, a highly solvent demand for elite cruise tourism was formed. New concepts of tourist services were developed with the highest level of service and, most importantly, a wide variety of entertainment on board the ship. Ground handling technology has undergone significant changes, requiring new high-capacity port terminals and methods for efficient ground handling of large flows of cruise passengers. The principles of organizing cruise routes have been formed. Cruise routes themselves can be divided as:

1. ring routes calling at 8-12 ports of various coastal countries and popular seaside resorts;
2. "open jaw" routes, when tourists follow only one end of the route;
3. short-term outings to the sea for 2-3 days for special purposes, for example, for organizing a gambling business.
4. coastal sea excursions and pleasure trips;
5. long routes and round the world trips, which can last up to six months.

According to the geography of active cruise activities, the following are distinguished: the basin of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean Sea, the Panama Canal; the Mediterranean Sea basin; cruises around Scandinavia with entry into the deep Norwegian fjords; cruises around Europe with visiting capital cities, cruises in the Baltic and long cruises from North America around the Cape of Good Hope, the Indian Ocean and further to Indonesia and Australia; cruises in Oceania; cruises and the area of \u200b\u200bAustralia.

One of the largest cruise companies is the Carnival Corp. It includes several cruise companies: Carnival Cruise Line (11 cruise ships), Holland America Line (8 cruise ships), Windstars Cruises (3 cruise ships), Seaborn Cruses 50% (3 cruise ships ), Holland America Westours (excursions, hotels, small boats in Alaska), 13 private car rental companies in Alaska, 50% of companies operating casinos on river boats in the USA, 50% of Airtours (UK tour operator + 3 cruise ships ), 65% "Costa Crociere" (7 cruise ships). In general, the corporation offers consumers almost 20 thousand places on cruise ships in the markets.

The Royal Carribean Corporation, which owns 19,000 cruise berths on 550 cruise routes, is only slightly behind. Has its own fleet of 9 unique top class ocean cruise liners. Owns Coco Day Island in the Caribbean, exclusively for cruise participants. All types of food are provided to tourists on the ship free of charge, with the exception of alcoholic beverages. Tours are of different duration - from 3 to 15 days. The company annually serves over 800 thousand tourists.

The main consumers of cruises are Americans, with the largest volume of cruises in the Caribbean (55%) and much less in the Mediterranean (10%). Exotic cruises to the Alaska region stand out separately, which consistently occupy 8.5% of the cruise market in North America. Holland America Line carries out 88% of all cruise traffic in the Alaska area and serves up to 350 thousand tourists annually.

The segmentation of consumers of this type of product occurs according to the following criteria:

1. By the level of income of consumers. Taking into account the social stratification of society, the participants in sea (including elite) cruises are people with high and ultra-high incomes. The participants of river cruises are people of average income, in some cases using social subsidies.
2.In terms of social composition, the cruise goes:

family (55%);

with friends or acquaintances (27%);

alone (18%).

3.Age composition of cruise participants:

under 25 years old - 30%;

from 25 to 40 years old - 22%;

over 40 years old - 48%.

According to the WTO statistics, the average age of participants in sea cruises is 45 - 55 years.

4. According to the national characteristics of tourists. Tourists of different religions and confessions can relax and undergo treatment on the boat. On the boat, you can discuss the menu in accordance with the treatment program and discuss all the questions that the tourist has. The service staff is glad to all tourists, regardless of their religious and national characteristics.

Among the major port centers where cruise business is developed, Miami (USA), Genoa (Italy) should be indicated. Singapore is the leader in the Indian Ocean, but actively claims the title of the UAE cruise center, where they are actively building a new port with a deep-water harbor. If in 1993 one cruise liner made a call to Dubai, then in 2000 the number of calls was 170, and in the 2001 schedule it was planned to receive 340 flights (75 thousand passengers). Dubai is included in the grand tours program and is becoming a popular cruise destination. In Canada, Vancouver is a popular cruise port, in the Pacific Ocean is the Hawaiian Islands, and in Russia is Murmansk (the main port of the nuclear fleet).

Types of cruises.

Developing and improving, cruise tourism, over time, underwent changes, which is why various types of cruises appeared.

1. Sailing cruise ships. Sailboats do not lose their appeal as cruise passenger ships today. The company "Star Clippers" is actively operating, carrying out cruises in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, transoceanic flights, and sailing in the Far East on three luxury sailing ships "Royal Clipper", "Star Clipper" and "Star Flyer". Vessel "Royal Clipper" - 5000 t, 120 m length, five masts, 106 people. crew, 226 people passengers, Star Clipper and Star Flyer - 107 m long, four masts, 70 people. crew, 170 people passengers. Sailing regions are determined by seasonal weather conditions. The duration of this type of cruise is from 7 to 14 days. The cost is from 2000 to 5000 USD. The cabins are divided into six categories (including the DeLux class with a double bed), with twin beds or bunk beds, and there are triple cabins. All cabins are equipped with showers and bathrooms of varying comfort. The company cooperates with British Airways and provides passenger transfer at intermediate ports. We offer special programs for newlyweds, organization of conferences, holidays. Passenger service is very elite, food is varied and exotic, there are non-smoking lounges and, of course, opportunities for water sports, interesting excursions and much more.
2. Cruises on old and traditional sailing ships. This type of tourism is actively developing in Europe and the USA. Privately owned and owned by various companies, a large number of B-class sailing ships (which can accommodate 6 to 40 passengers) have survived, built at the beginning of the century, or today, but according to old drawings and following traditional construction methods. There are two ways to go on a trip: either buy an individual tour and join the planned route, or rent a boat with a captain and choose the direction and theme of the trip yourself. The cost of the cruise varies depending on the vessel, the duration of the voyage and the services provided: participation in the Cutty Sark-2001 regatta (one crossing, 6 days), for example, costs 551 USD for an adult, 420 for youth (15-25 years old) USD. If you take a full boat rental, for example, the cost of a 24-seat high-class schooner Najaden in the Stockholm archipelago costs 5,700 USD.
3. Cruise yacht tourism. A significant proportion of sailing yachts are private vessels. A yacht is an expensive purchase, comparable in cost to a high-class car, and therefore is available to people of the wealthy class. In addition, yacht maintenance is troublesome and requires special knowledge and skills. Rest on a yacht is widespread in most of the developed countries of the world, especially in Europe, America and Australia. Professional yachtsmen and amateurs are united by yacht clubs, where they organize communication of people, organize competitions, long and short cruise voyages. In various European countries they are united in Cruise Associations. For example, the Swedish Cruise Association has 150,000 sailors. The first yacht club in Russia was the Imperial Yacht Club in St. Petersburg (1846), now the St. Petersburg River Yacht Club of Trade Unions. Yacht berths (marinas) provide services for the storage and repair of yachts and boats. The companies located in the marina offer training and improvement services for navigation, yacht and boat charter, special and maintenance of yachts and boats, rescue work, booking services and freight, including through computer networks. The cost of parking a boat with a length of 10-12 m costs the owner 10-15 USD per day. Not everyone gets a berth, some yachts and boats are in the harbor on a buoy, from the shore they get to them on a small boat like "Zodiak".

The vast majority of private yachts are family-owned. This determines the specifics of yacht travel. Family yacht cruises are characterized by short sailings on weekends. Cruises on inland waterways are very popular in that many interesting places can be visited in a short period of time.

4. Charter cruise on a motor yacht. A motor yacht is a small private cruise ship where the crew often exceeds the number of guests. Cruiser owners use their ships in two ways: vacationing on their own or renting them out to special brokerage charter companies. These types of companies are especially common in the US, UK and Australia. The duration of the cruise depends on the client's wishes and is on average 1-2 weeks. The cost varies with the type and capacity of the yacht, the number of crew members employed and the duration of the voyage. Usually presented on an all inclusive basis, although other options are possible. The cruiser route will be planned at the request of the guests. The charter company can offer a number of interesting ideas: adventure charter - a cruise to exotic corners of the earth, a round-the-world cruise, cruises to Alaska or along the Amazon River; sports charter - participation or observation of competitions, underwater photo safaris, ocean fishing; corporate charter - the use of motor boats as representative yachts during major exhibitions, competitions, festivals (Cannes Film Festival, Monaco Grand Prix). Despite the high cost, the charter of such ships is very popular; yacht booking, for example, for Christmas or New Year's holidays, takes 1-1.5 years.
5. Ferry cruises. In the general case, a ferry is understood as a special floating craft and vessels for the regular transportation of vehicles (wagons, locomotives, buses, cars) and large flows of passengers over short distances through water spaces between coastal points as shuttles. Large sea and transoceanic ferries are actively used on large lake and sea crossings. Usually a railway ferry with a displacement of 2 to 6 thousand tons takes on board from 20 to 200 wagons, 100 or more cars, 300-800 passengers or even more. Ferries differ in purpose and, accordingly, in design - railway, automobile, automobile-passenger, passenger and mixed types. Ferries are equipped with folding ramps and ship-type devices for fast loading and unloading of vehicles. For greater maneuverability, vessels are equipped with efficient thrusters. On ships, cabins are provided for passengers, but if the ship is intended for short voyages, then deck spaces are mainly intended for passengers.

Transport characteristics of ships.

Sea and river means of transportation have their own excellent characteristics and features, which are taken into account when choosing routes and methods of transportation. The transport characteristics of ships are numerous, the main ones are seaworthiness, technical characteristics of the hull, its dimensions, mass and volume indicators, speed and ability to a given navigation area. Consider the main transport characteristics of ships:

1. Seaworthiness - a set of the main characteristics of a vessel: buoyancy, stability, unsinkability, speed, controllability, smoothness of pitching. An important indicator is the strength of the hull, capable of withstanding the effects of massive loads, waves, ice, going out on a wave, and others. The main dimensions are the length and width of the hull, the height of the side and the draft. These indicators determine the ship's ability to form passenger cabins. The dimensions of the vessel are taken into account when passing through narrows, in shallow water and under bridges, when entering ports, bays, harbors, when mooring to quay walls and maneuvering.
2. Mass indicators: displacement and full carrying capacity.
3. Volumetric indicators: cargo capacity (volume of cargo spaces in cubic meters) and passenger capacity (number of seats intended for the carriage of passengers), as well as the gross tonnage of the ship, which shows the total volume of the ship's premises.
4. Indicators of speed: in the practice of operating ships, they distinguish between technical speed and average ground operating speed. Technical speed - an indicator that is set by the customer during the design and construction of the vessel - the maximum speed. And the operational ground speed is achieved during certain sailing conditions on the route for a given period of time. This speed depends on the sailing conditions, includes delays in locks, ports, varies depending on the ship's load, weather conditions, wind direction, waves, ice conditions, depths.

The technical characteristics of the vessel largely determine the navigation area. Marine vessels are divided into the following categories:

1. unlimited sea (ocean) navigation. These are medium- and large-tonnage vessels with increased hull strength, high seaworthiness, technical characteristics of which guarantee the safety of sailing in the ocean in any conditions;
2. limited navigation, usually within the same sea, in facilitated navigation conditions, as a rule, these are small vessels of small size fleet;
3. coastal (local) and roadstead navigation, the navigation area is limited by roadsteads or the port water area;
4. mixed "river-sea", are used to perform work on sea and river routes and systems;
5. ice-going vessels, adapted for independent navigation in ice conditions or following icebreakers. They have increased body strength and protection of screws from damage.

Cruise tourism - transportation of people by water transport.

Cruise tourism refers to special types of tourism, as it is a rather labor-intensive, capital-intensive type of tourism that combines several types of tourism, such as recreational, sports, health-improving, educational. A cruise should be understood as a journey by water transport, including shore excursions, sightseeing in port cities, as well as a variety of entertainment on board sea and river liners.

Modern water transport, depending on the service sector, is subdivided into sea and river. Watercraft related to sea transport carry out international, long-distance and coastal transportation. International maritime traffic is understood as the transportation of passengers and goods outside and outside the country; long-distance transportation includes voyages between ports of one country when ships are on the high seas; coastal voyages are carried out along the coast between ports without access to the open sea.

Vessels of the river fleet carry out the transportation of passengers and goods along inland waterways, which include rivers, lakes, large reservoirs, canals. In turn, river cruises are divided into transport (communication between two settlements, work according to the schedule), tourist (traditional and special route, no more than a day), and sightseeing (intracity and suburban routes, up to 24 hours). River cruises are a fairly popular type of water tourism in Russia.

Cruise tourism in Russia has an extensive shipping network. The main base of the Russian cruise fleet is Novorossiysk. The most common cruises on the Black and Mediterranean Seas with calls to the ports of Turkey, Greece, Italy, Egypt, Israel and Spain. Cruise tourism in Russia also offers tours of the North and Baltic Seas, departing from St. Petersburg and stopping at the ports of Northern Europe. Among the unique Russian routes in the Far East: cruises around the islands of the Arctic Ocean - Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya, to the North Pole from Murmansk, along the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug with a visit to Wrangel Island. Despite the high cost of such travel, these cruises are in great demand and are booked in advance.

The sea tour around Europe "Odessa - St. Petersburg" is very popular, which allows you to see almost all major European countries in one trip. The only drawback of this cruise is its expensive cost, so few Russians use it so far.

Cruise tourism in Russia has a good fleet, which, unfortunately, today is mostly chartered by foreign tourist companies. Also, cruise tourism in Russia needs to be provided with a normal port economy. Due to the low level of service, visits by foreign liners to the ports of Russia are limited.

River cruise tourism in Russia, in contrast to sea tourism, is less susceptible to weather influences and has a more informative plan. The most popular cruise routes are along the Volga. During the Soviet government, a system of canals connected the Volga and the Don, Neva and Ladoga and Onega lakes. At the moment, our country has access to five seas White, Baltic, Caspian, Black and Azov. The huge number of routes along this large water system has made Russia one of the leaders of cruise tourism in the world. At present, the revival of river travel is in full swing in our country. Except for the Volga, travels along the rivers of Siberia, in particular along the Yenisei, are attractive; recently, the interest of foreign tourists to the Amur River has been growing.

The largest passenger port in Europe, built using the latest technology, has opened in St. Petersburg. At the 2009 Seatrade Europe exhibition in Hamburg, the St. Petersburg port "Marine Facade" won the nomination "The best transit port of the year". Most cruise companies moor their ships in the northern capital for 2 days, and no more than 10 cities in the world are honored with this honor. The richest cultural heritage and historical monuments of St. Petersburg attract not only foreign tourists, but also Russians from all over the country. By 2013, the construction of 6 berths will be completed there. The length of the quay wall will be about 600 meters, which will allow to receive up to 15 large vessels at the same time.

The next stage in the formation of the cruise industry in Russia is the preparation of the port in Sochi, which, after reconstruction, will also be able to receive cruise liners. In the future, Primorye and Kaliningrad will acquire specialized ports capable of receiving modern cruise ships.

No one doubts the need for more dynamic development of cruise tourism in the Russian Federation. The country has unique opportunities for this: it is washed by the waters of two oceans and four seas and has the longest coastline in the world - 37,653 km.

The tourist business has different forms of travel organization, and one of them is cruises. A cruise is a tourist trip along a river or sea, usually with a call to ports, on board a special passenger ship. Currently, dozens of cruise lines around the world operate hundreds of passenger ships with a capacity of 70 to 2000-3000 passengers and offer exciting trips to almost any region of the world.

In fact, a cruise is a sea or river tour, the base price of which includes a comprehensive service on board. In particular: travel by boat, accommodation in a cabin (depending on the chosen class), three meals a day, entertainment and, as a rule, a number of special events on board (holidays, festivals, competitions, concerts, etc.).

The authoritative magazine Guide to cruising says that the first cruise took place in 1835 from the coast of Scotland, around Iceland, to the Faroe Islands. And two years later, the first cruise company, Peninsular Steam Navigation Company, was formed, later transformed into a successfully operating P&O Cruises company to this day.

The idea of \u200b\u200btravel on the cruise system belongs to the American Bob Dickenson, an employee of Ford Motors. They were in the 50s. the last century, the concept of cruise vacations was developed, providing for a powerful entertainment industry on motor ships: cinema and concert halls, swimming pools, casinos, restaurants, bars, gyms, libraries, solariums, tennis courts, golf courses, as well as various shows. Cruise tourism has received the most rapid development since the end of the 50s. XX century The civilized cruise market emerged after 1960. By 1980, 15 large world companies began to carry out the cruise business.

Transportation of tourists by water transport includes: sea transportation and cruises; river travel and river cruises; travel by ferries, catamarans, yachts, boats; sea \u200b\u200band river walks; other types of water travel.

Water tourist travel has a number of advantages: the highest level of comfort; significant volume of one-time loading; the possibility of implementing various types and goals of tourism; the possibility of good rest; a full range of life support. The disadvantages of water travel are: low speed (but this is only a relative disadvantage); confined space syndrome; limited mobility; susceptibility of some people to seasickness; in some cases !! high rates.

According to the surveys carried out by “cruise” tourists on various routes, their motivation for choosing a cruise vacation includes: the desire to relax on the water and spend their vacation in a calm, measured and comfortable environment; the need to see new cities, visit museums, objects of religious architecture, etc .; have no worries about the organization of recreation and entertainment; acceptable price. Commenting on all of the above motives, it should be noted that a cruise vacation is the most beneficial for health: slow movement through water relieves stress, and fresh air contributes to the health of the body.

Recently, the cruise is an intensively developing type of tourism. The number of passengers traveling on cruise ships is increasing every year, and the income from this type of business is growing accordingly, so organizing a cruise type of vacation is a promising and profitable business, and knowing its basics will never be superfluous.

In the last decade, the cruise market has been characterized by four factors: supply specialization; sailing on small comfortable motor ships; matching the size of the ship to the range of services; automation. The first three factors developed already in the 1980s. XX century in the form of expedition cruises, sailing on luxury yachts and huge motor ships with more than 2 thousand seats. However, in subsequent years these factors faded into the background, and automation took the first place. In the cruise business, it became necessary to create a simple management information system.

The global cruise market is currently undergoing significant changes. First of all, this is due to the significant growth in the popularity of sea and ocean recreation. The number of tourists preferring cruises in the 2004-2005 season for the first time crossed the 12 million mark (for comparison: in 1999 - 10.6 million), and the total capacity of the cruise passenger fleet exceeded 255 thousand cabins.

The cruise market is growing much faster than other types of transport travel (about 6% per year in terms of passenger numbers). At the end of the XX century. the total number of cruise passengers was over 8 million, which is 1.3% of all international tourists. According to UNWTO forecasts, by 2010 the total number of cruise passengers will reach 15 million people.

The leading countries for cruise travel in the world are the UK, USA and Germany. The most popular boat trips are in the USA and Germany. Since the beginning of the XXI century. cruise tourism has conquered significant markets in the US, UK and other countries in Europe and Asia. The largest market - supplier of cruise tourists is the US market. The growth in the number of cruise tourists in the United States began in 1980 and is generally faster than the annual average growth rate for US tourism.

The next supplier of cruise tourists is the UK market, their average annual number is more than 300 thousand people. The third place in the world in the cruise market is Germany with an average annual number of cruiser tourists of more than 250 thousand people. While the UK cruise market has grown steadily in recent years, the German market has remained static. Great demand for cruise ships is noted in France, Italy, Switzerland and some other countries.

The vast majority of nearly 50 companies operating in the global cruise market are North American. True, there are no more than 15 truly significant "players" left today, and due to the active process of merging large companies, this number is constantly decreasing. A striking example of this trend is the Carnival DLC holding, a product of the merger in 2003 of such giants as Carnival Cruises and P&O Princess Cruises. It accounts for more than half of all sales. Royal Caribbean remains the second notable "player". One can note the Star Cruises holding, which recently bought the Norwegian Cruise Lines company, as well as the European Festival and the most expensive, but also the most prestigious cruise company - Japan's Crystal. The top ten mega-companies include Carnival, Royal Caribbean, P&O Princess, Star Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Lines, Holland America Line, Festival, Crystal. Among the main "players" of the market from the United States - about 85% of companies that often sail with the flags of other states - Panamanian, Liberian or others. The first three leaders - Carnival, Royal Caribbean, P&O Princess - and their affiliated companies "hold" about 81% of the global cruise market 1. Another market trend pointed out by tour operators is a slight decrease in the average cost of cruises and the emergence of new cruise companies focused on more economical tours (for example, the Islands company, which spun off from Royal Caribbean a few years ago).

Another feature of the modern cruise business is the emergence of giant ships. Leading cruise companies have staged a real race of titans among themselves. It began with a recent pledge by Cunard, which is making transatlantic voyages from New York to Europe, to build the 150,000-ton Queen Mary II liner, significantly surpassing Royal Caribbean ships and becoming the world's largest cruise ship. Of course, Royal Caribbean did not stand aside and announced that it would build an even larger ship - with a displacement of 160 thousand tons. The Carnival DLC holding took up the baton, promising to build the Ultimate Princess liner with a displacement of 170-180 thousand tons. - three years. In addition, in the next few years, about 50 new-generation 4-5-star class liners with a displacement of 70-100 thousand tons will be launched, which will replace ships built in the 80-90s. The new superliners will accommodate 2.5-3 thousand passengers, they will be equipped with arcades of shops and restaurants, casinos, ice rinks and golf courses (two of these vessels have already appeared).

As before, the most active tourists are Americans (over 10 million people a year), followed by the British (over 2 million people). According to the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the first

“The ratings do not take into account the holdings resulting from the merger of a number of cruise companies. For example, the Carnival DLC holding acquired Carnival Cruises and P&O Princess. However, the ratings are aggregated for each of the companies separately.

in the quarter of 2003, sea cruises were visited by about 2.2 million people, more than 1.9 million of them were citizens of the United States and Canada. This is almost 23% more than in the same period in 2002.

One of the most notable trends in recent years has been a slight decline in the average cost of cruises. This is explained by the fact that every year more and more ships are launched into the water, which must be loaded. The tragic events in the USA and the war in Iraq played a role in reducing the cost of cruise vacations. It was the Middle East conflict that seriously helped Russian companies operating in the cruise market. The fact is that due to hostilities and fear of terrorists, the most active cruisers - the Americans and the British - in the 2004-2005 season. they booked Mediterranean cruises much less frequently than usual. Usually, by April, American companies sell off cruises for the whole summer, however, due to the lack of tourists, they were forced to significantly reduce prices. Princess was one of the first to introduce special prices for Russians. For example, a 12-day cruise on the Golden Princess (4 stars) cost $ 799. against the catalog price of 3600 dollars. Royal Caribbean and Celebrity followed suit: Celebrity's 5-star Millennium cruise cost just $ 899. As a result, the Russians were second only to the Americans on individual ships, displacing the British, Australians and Canadians.

A cruise is a unique tourism product that combines transportation, accommodation and entertainment. The main place of stay of passengers during a cruise is the ship, and it is often the main attraction, so special attention should be paid to the characteristics of some large cruise ships and the description of the typical stay of tourists on the ship.

Cruise sailing programs are very diverse. Some of them are dedicated to specific dates, topics, events. For example, an astronomical cruise, a Columbus year cruise, etc.

Foreign cruises are traditionally organized along the following routes:

- along the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas;
- around Europe with a visit to the British Isles and the Island of Iceland;
- in the Scandinavian countries with a visit to St. Petersburg;
- to the USA, Canada and Alaska, including from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic through the Panama Canal or around South America;
- through Arabia (Suez Canal) to the Indian Ocean;
- for the islands of the South Pacific Ocean (Australia and New Zealand);
- to the Hawaiian Islands and the Caribbean and others.

Sea cruises - one of the most comfortable and therefore the most expensive types of recreation. The prices for Russian water travel are 3-5 times lower than the world prices due to the lower freight rates of ships and cheaper service. For this reason, competition in the domestic cruise market exists only between Russian travel agencies and almost nonexistent with foreign ones. Higher-ranking foreign cruise lines do not make special attempts to enter the Russian market.

Most of the country's passenger fleet units are based in Odessa. This determines the direction of the sea cruise routes on the Russian market. The most frequent offers are boat trips across the Mediterranean with calls to the ports of Turkey (Istanbul), Greece (Piraeus), Egypt (Port Said, Alexandria), Israel, Italy, Spain and other countries. Cruise tours across the Baltic and North Seas, starting from St. Petersburg or Kaliningrad and providing stops in the ports of Northern Europe and Scandinavia, are popular with Russian tourists. Especially popular among Russians is the traditional sea cruise around Europe Odessa - St. Petersburg, which allows you to see almost all the main countries of the Old World in one trip.

The timing of sea cruises is very diverse and, depending on the direction of the routes, range from one week to one month. They can start and end both in one port and in different ones. Sea cruises are also called air and motor ship tours, since tour operators deliver customers to the port of departure and back home by plane.

There are several dozen specialized cruise companies around the world, operating from one or two to 15-20 passenger ships. Most of the cruise operators are united in the professional international association CLIA. She coordinates the cruise business internationally.

Many travel agencies, especially those specializing in vacations and cruises, are also members of this association.

CLIA by 2007 unites about 33 travel agencies and more than 20 thousand travel agencies selling cruise trips. It is an international body dedicated to promoting the cruise industry to both tourist consumers and travel agencies. SYL assists travel agencies in training specialists, public relations and advertising. Thanks to special professional training of travel agents and a skillfully conducted advertising campaign, SYL has managed to turn sea cruises into a classic form of relaxation. Of all cruise travel, 95% are sold through CLIA travel agencies, with this tourism product ranking second after air ticket sales.

SYL divides sea routes, depending on the cost of a day's stay, into four categories: economical (75-150 dollars per day) - ships of the Festival, TUI-Thomson companies, as well as the former flagship of Shota Rustaveli - now Lssedo); classic (100-200 dollars per day) - companies Carnival, Norwegian, Costa Cruises); premium cruises (150-400 USD per day) - Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America); luxury cruises (up to 1000 USD per day) - by Cunard, Silversea Cruises, Radisson Seven Seas, Crystal.

Sea cruises are recognized as the most diverse and most comfortable type of travel. A sea cruise is a unique combination of tranquility with a variety of experiences and entertainment. Cruise lines offer more than 5,000 programs. A distinctive feature of all programs is freedom of choice, safety, high quality of service. The highest level of service is a top priority for cruise lines.

A very important advantage of a cruise vacation is its "off-season". In the spring and summer, traditional routes are the Magnificent Mediterranean and the capitals of Western Europe, Scandinavia and the Norwegian Fjords, Alaska. In autumn, at the height of the "velvet season", Mediterranean-Atlantic cruises are very popular. In late autumn and winter, liners head to the shores of South America, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the Panama Canal, the Mexican Riviera. Cruises in the Caribbean, French Polynesia are carried out by cruise companies regularly, all year round.

By the geography of active cruise activity, the Caribbean (Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea and Panama Canal), the Mediterranean basin (the oldest cruise area in the world), cruises around Scandinavia with a call to the deep Norwegian fjords, cruises around Europe with visits to capital cities, cruises in the Baltic sea, long cruises from North America around the Cape of Good Hope to the Indian Ocean and further to Southeast Asia and Australia, cruises in Oceania and Australia. Of the major port centers where cruise business is developed, Miami (USA), Acapulco (Mexico), Genoa (Italy), Singapore, Dubai (UAE), Vancouver (Canada), Honolulu (Hawaiian Islands, USA) stand out.

Cruise routes appeared in high latitudes. So in Alaska, up to 400 thousand cruise tourists are served a year. The most exotic are cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic. The nuclear-powered ships "Russia" and "Yamal" regularly carry out a tourist route to the North Pole from Murmansk. The route passes from Murmansk through Franz Josef Land, to the North Pole and then returns with a stop at the northern and southern ends of the Severnaya Zemlya islands - back to Murmansk. At the North Pole, tourists are organized daytime parking and a wide range of entertainment, including swimming in the ice hole. Despite the cost of 15 thousand dollars and more, the demand for a cruise is very high. Cruises to the glaciers of Greenland and Iceland are popular. In Antarctica, tourists from cruise ships visit the coast of Antarctica by helicopter or boat. For such cruises, Russian research vessels ("Akademik Ioffe") are used. During cruises, descents to great depths are carried out in special devices. The most famous example of this is the tour by tourists of the sunken Titanic.

One of the largest organizers of cruise routes is Carnival Corp. The corporation offers on the market about 20 thousand places on cruise ships. The Royal Carribean corporation, which owns 19,000 cruise seats on 550 cruise routes, is only slightly behind. Royal Carribean has been in the tourism market for over 25 years. It has its own fleet of 9 top class ocean cruise liners. Has its own island in the Caribbean, intended for the rest of the participants of cruise tours.

The leading countries of cruise tourism are the USA, Great Britain, Norway, Italy, France. The main consumers of cruises are Americans, with most cruises in the Caribbean (55%) and significantly less in the Mediterranean (10%).

Russia has opportunities for the development of cruise tourism. In the former Soviet Union, Odessa was the country's main cruise port. Routes from Odessa are still very popular among Russians. The main base of the Russian cruise fleet is now Novorossiysk. The Mediterranean Sea, with calls to the ports of Turkey (Istanbul), Greece (Piraeus), Egypt (Port Said, Alexandria), Israel (Haifa), Italy, Spain, is the most developed by Russian and Ukrainian cruise routes. Cruise tours across the Baltic and North Seas, starting from St. Petersburg or Kaliningrad and providing stops in the ports of Northern Europe and Scandinavia, are popular with Russian tourists. The traditional sea cruise around Europe (Odessa - St. Petersburg) is especially popular, allowing you to see almost all the leading countries of the Old World in one trip. But the high comfort of a cruise vacation makes it expensive and therefore inaccessible for Russians.

Russia has a decent cruise fleet, but it is currently chartered primarily by foreign companies. Also, cruise tourism should be provided with quality port facilities. The low level of port facilities and service limits the visits of foreign tourist liners to Russian ports.

River cruises, unlike sea ones, are less affected by the weather, more informative, as they have a coastal view. River cruises are most developed in Europe, where there is an extensive navigable waterway network. The most popular river cruise routes are along the Seine, Elbe, Danube (through seven countries), Rhine (and its tributaries). Germany holds the first place in river cruises, followed by Great Britain, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria.

Cruise routes along the rivers of Russia are popular among the population and foreign tourists. Traveling along the Volga River became popular among tourists in the 19th century. In Soviet times, a system of canals connected the Volga through the Neva and Don rivers and lakes Ladoga and Onega with five seas (Baltic, White, Caspian, Azov and Black). Numerous routes along this largest water system made the Soviet Union one of the leaders in river cruise tourism in the world. Now in Russia there is a revival of river cruise travel. In addition to the Volga, travels along Siberian rivers, especially along the Yenisei, are attractive. Recently, the interest of foreign tourists to the Amur has increased.

Outside of Europe, popular river cruise routes are laid along the Nile (Egypt), Yangtze (China), the St. Lawrence River, Mississippi (USA), Amazon (Brazil).

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The current state of cruise tourism and its trends. River cruises in Europe What is cruise tourism

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