Investigating the behavior of embarking cruisers in a Caribbean homeport: a factor and a censured-Tobit analysis

This study analyses embarking cruisers’ experience in a homeport. Survey data were collected from passengers that embarked in Cartagena de Indias (Colombia) during the 2009-2010 season. A factor-cluster analysis is developed to segment cruisers identifying the factors that influence their perception and expenditure pattern. Despite the expected total impact for an embarkation port is higher than a port of call, most passengers in Cartagena stay for a short period of time before embarking, hence their contribution to the local economy is rather neglectful. The Tobit analysis has consistently highlighted first time cruisers, with a high education level and belonging to the “long stay cluster” have a higher spending capacity.