Familiarity and visit characteristics as determinants of tourists' experience at a cruise destination

The main aim of this study was to examine the differences in the interrelationships between destination image-satisfaction-behavioural intention across cruise tourists with varying visit characteristics (length of stay and type of visit arrangement) and familiarity. The data for the study was obtained through interviews with cruise passengers visiting a major Spanish port of call. The results revealed that both familiarity (informational and behavioural) and type of visit arrangement (excursion versus independent visit) moderated the hypothesized structural relationships. The moderating role of length of stay onshore was only demonstrated on the impact of satisfaction on behavioural intentions. The findings make several contributions to the current literature on cruise tourist behaviour.