Mobility Patterns and Spatial Behavior of Cruise Passengers Visiting Barcelona

Cruise ship tourism in port cities, while offering opportunities, has brought its own challenges, including overcrowding, disruption to local community mobility, and growing resident concerns, which recently escalated to anti-tourism activities. This article aims to understand the mobility patterns,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Tavafi F; Delclòs-Alió X; Gutiérrez A
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universitat Rovira i virgili (URV)
Repositorio:Repositori Institucional de la Universitat Rovira i Virgili
OAI Identifier:oai:urv.cat:imarina:9463091
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9463091
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Economics, Econometrics and Finance (Miscellaneous),Social Sciences (Miscellaneous),Tourism, Leisure and Hospitality Management
Barcelona
Cruise ship mobility
Cruise ship tourism
Overcrowding
Urban mobility
Ciencias sociales
Economics, econometrics and finance (miscellaneous)
Social sciences (miscellaneous)
Tourism, leisure and hospitality management
Descripción
Sumario:Cruise ship tourism in port cities, while offering opportunities, has brought its own challenges, including overcrowding, disruption to local community mobility, and growing resident concerns, which recently escalated to anti-tourism activities. This article aims to understand the mobility patterns, transportation preferences, and spatial behaviors of cruise ship passengers within the City of Barcelona (Spain). The study is based on a survey conducted with cruise ship tourists visiting the city (n = 793). The key findings reveal the concentration of tourist activity in the old part of the city, and the similarity in spatial behaviors within the city, while the primary mode of exploration is walking, supported by motorized modes of transfer to access distant attractions. Socio-demographic factors and visit characteristics, such as age, group composition, and expenditure levels, are associated with mobility and spatial behavior. This article adds new evidence on the mobility patterns and spatial behaviors of cruise ship tourists visiting a major tourist city. With better knowledge of where cruise ship passengers concentrate, what activity patterns they show, and their preferred modes of transport, policymakers can manage more effectively the influx during peak times and in high-density areas. Strategies to distribute visitors more evenly across the city could be devised to alleviate pressure on heavily frequented zones.