Why Cruises Start and Stop Where They Do

When we think of cruises, most of us consider the luxury ships themselves as the attraction — not the ports they visit. Jean-Paul Rodrigue, a transport scholar at Hofstra University, says that's an oversight. He's studied cruise itineraries from all over the world and found that companies pay a great deal of attention to port selection as a means of distinguishing themselves.

Rodrigue presents his "geography of cruises" in a recent issue of Applied Geography with Belgian researcher Theo Notteboom. Focusing on the Caribbean and Mediterranean markets, the scholars argue that itinerary is what's really for sale from the cruise industry. As a result, relevant ports cities are competing to become part of a line's unique regional and cultural package of places.