ABSTRACT
In the middle of a global economic recession, cruise tourism continues to be one of the major growth engines of international travel. With ‘average annual increases in passenger numbers of 8.2 per cent over the last two decades’ (Mittermeier, 2007, p1), and sustained ‘growth in cruise capacity averaging 7.6 per cent annually’, (North West Cruise Ship Association, 2009, p1), the resilience of the industry is clearly displayed in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, one of the fastest growing cruise destinations in the world (see Figure 13.1).
