Paper short abstract:

This paper analyzes the power balance of national, regional and local level public and private actors and the factors that influence the sustainability of cruise tourism in Japan. It compares port governance structure, cruise policies and structure as a tourism destination in 9 port cities.

Paper long abstract:

International cruise tourism, especially in the form of mega-cruises, is a relatively new phenomena to Japan. Before COVID 19, cruise tourists accounted for eight percent of international visitors to Japan. Cruise tourism around the world faces criticism from environmental, economic and social aspects but has been promoted in Japan as part of national policies to develop inbound tourism into a major branch of the economy. However, cruise tourism is actually managed by regional and local administrations and based on a highly diverse system of port governance. This paper aims to analyze the power balance of national, regional and local level public and private actors and the factors that influence the sustainability of cruise tourism in port cities in Japan.

The research is based on statistical data and information acquired through fieldwork and interviews conducted in nine port cities, Kobe, Sakaiminato, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Beppu, Kagoshima, Miyazaki and Nichinan. These cities are compared on their port governance structure, cruise policies and structure as a tourism destination.

Results show a highly complicated power balance. On the national level, promotion and deregulation had been effective in drawing international cruise ships and visitors to Japan, while the sudden interruption through the COVID 19 pandemic proves the vulnerability of this sector. On the regional and local scale, an analysis of cruise governance in the nine port cities showed deviations between areas that actively embrace cruise tourism to others that take a more passive stance. Port management, transportation and tourism structures influence how far cruise tourists travel, how important cruises are for the destination and in which aspects the area benefits or suffers from cruise tourism. The analysis showed that port cities in Japan retain a relatively high level of control based on their individual governance structures. On the other hand, these structures possibly limit their power to create more sustainable structures of cruise tourism through a lack of coordination between ports and between different levels and agencies of administration.