ECO-CRUISING FU_TOUR, the EU co-funded project aiming at exploiting the green and blue potential of the West Mediterranean tourism SMEs, will design eco-smart cruising packages targeting Millennials and Gen Z. This initiative responds to the fact that young consumers are the fastest-growing segment of the cruise line’s customers. In recent years, cruises -often the vacation style of choice for families and older generations- have started to appeal to Millennials and Generation Z, who see cruising as good value for their money. A 2021 study by Tripadvisor and Accenture found that high-income millennials were more interested in cruising than ever before, with 58% of those polled planning to take a cruise for their next leisure trip.
The main goal is to offer innovative routes and solutions that pave the way towards Net-Zero for coastal areas by introducing a new experience for young targets of the cruise world. For instance, the green component of the package will stimulate tourists to enjoy nature-based tourism by using alternative zero-impact means of transport. All this while fostering environmental and cultural understanding, appreciation, and conservation. Another goal is to make young tourists aware of food waste reduction and waste treatment.
In addition, the project will promote the cruise destinations that are striving to achieve green local mobility and are connected to the local area in terms of cultural excellence and the production of local food and art. In this sense, ECO-CRUISING FU_TOUR claims for public and private cooperation to redefine the cruise destinations by involving all the institutions and businesses. The idea is to combine a smart (digital) and eco-sustainable offering designed to develop the green and blue potential of Western Mediterranean tourism SMEs through cross-border cooperation to unlock new business opportunities in the new eco-cruise tourism sector.
This initiative aims at tackling three main negative impacts: congestion -cruise passenger visitor flows may disrupt or congest local traffic and pedestrian routes-, cultural heritage degradation and carbon emissions in ports and natural areas. In 2023, 31,7 million passengers opted for cruises on their holidays – 7 million opted for the Mediterranean-. Apart from this, cruise ships use large amounts of fuel, which contributes to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.
Towards a sustainable transition in the cruise industry
The initiative launched by ECO-CRUISING FU_TOUR confirms the cruise industry tangible progress in advancing its environmental and sustainability objectives. The latest sustainability report from Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) lays out the ways in which the cruise industry is heading towards a greener future, and how it plans to hit net zero emissions by 2050. Promoting innovation in maritime technology is at the heart of the cruise industry’s efforts to reduce its environmental footprint. It has made significant investments in the development of green technologies and practices, including, for example, the provision of shoreside electricity (SSE) for ships. This allows ships to switch off engines in port, resulting in significant carbon reductions. Plugging into SSE can reduce emissions by up to 98% while a ship is in port. In 2022, CLIA announced that its ocean cruise line members made a commitment that all ships calling at ports capable of providing SSE will be equipped to either use the technology by 2035 or use alternative low-carbon technologies to reduce emissions in port.
In addition, according to CLIA report, more cruise lines are diversifying their energy positions by combining multi-fuel engines, experimenting with fuel cell technology, wind (including solid sail), solar solutions, and battery storage for power shaving. 60% of CLIA member ships -171 in total- currently use efficiency tracking systems, with many more systems planned. In fact, cruise lines are pursuing fuel flexibility, including LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), which is the cleanest fuel currently available on a large scale. According to the report, the cruise industry is exploring sustainable marine fuels, including advanced biofuels and other renewable energy solutions, such as synthetic fuels, methanol, hydrogen, fuel cells and electric batteries.
Apart from this, the CLIA member fleet, 202 ships (77% of the total), representing 80% of global passenger capacity, are now equipped with advanced wastewater treatment systems. These systems operate to a higher standard than shoreside treatment plants in many coastal cities. All CLIA new build ships are specified for advanced wastewater treatment systems, which will bring the total to 242 ships, representing 80% of the fleet and 84% of global capacity.