More than 30 cruise destinations across the Caribbean and Latin America are entering a new cycle of economic-impact measurement. The initiative, led by Tourism Economics, could give ports and tourism authorities a recurring benchmark for assessing not only what cruise activity contributes today, but how that contribution changes over time.
The first studies are due in 2027 and will then be repeated every three years. That makes the initiative more than another regional snapshot of passenger and crew spending. It could create a consistent reference point for destinations making decisions around cruise development, infrastructure and investment.
From a regional snapshot to a recurring benchmark
Tourism Economics, an Oxford Economics company, announced the new series in April. More than 30 Caribbean and Latin American destinations will be covered, with the analysis designed to provide consistent, globally informed measures of cruise tourism’s economic contribution while being adapted to individual destination priorities.
The initiative was also highlighted in the second-quarter edition of FCCA’s Travel & Cruise Magazine, which points to stronger strategic planning, longer-term investment decisions and a better understanding of how destinations can maximize passenger and crew spending as intended uses of the research.
The region already has a substantial body of cruise-impact data. The latest FCCA study conducted by Business Research & Economic Advisors (BREA), covering the 2023/2024 cruise year, examined 33 destinations and estimated US$4.27 billion in direct cruise-tourism expenditure.
Of that total, 29.4 million passenger visits ashore generated US$3.07 billion, while crew spending contributed US$229.5 million and cruise lines spent a further US$968.3 million. The activity supported an estimated 94,027 jobs and US$1.27 billion in wage income across the participating destinations.
The new Tourism Economics series therefore starts from an established measurement base. The important change is the prospect of turning regional economic-impact analysis into a regular three-year measurement cycle.
Why comparability matters
Passenger counts remain one of the most visible indicators of cruise performance, but economic-impact studies can provide a much wider view of what those arrivals mean for a destination.
The previous FCCA/BREA analysis combined passenger and crew surveys with cruise-line expenditure, port revenues and local economic data. It measured spending patterns alongside employment and wage effects rather than treating traffic volume as the sole indicator of performance.
That level of detail can expose differences between cruise models that headline arrival numbers cannot.
In the 2023/2024 study, for example, the average transit passenger spent US$101.87 during a destination visit, while homeport passengers averaged substantially more as hotel stays, ground transportation, food and other pre- and post-cruise activity entered the equation. Across the broader study, average passenger spending stood at US$104.36 per onshore visit.
For ports and tourism authorities, such distinctions matter when considering whether growth should come from more calls, larger ships, homeport activity, landside commercial development or a different mix of cruise products.
The Tourism Economics initiative is intended to add greater consistency to that measurement while still allowing individual studies to reflect local priorities. The detailed methodology for the 2027 series has not yet been published, so it remains too early to know exactly which indicators will be standardized across every destination.
Data is becoming part of investment strategy
That matters because cruise development increasingly requires significant capital decisions.
A destination considering a terminal expansion, transport improvements, new visitor facilities or a homeport strategy needs to understand more than how many additional passengers an investment can accommodate. Economic data can help frame a second question: what kind of economic activity is that capacity likely to support?
Tourism Economics explicitly positions the new studies as tools to strengthen strategic planning and inform longer-term tourism development and investment decisions. It will also work directly with destinations to tailor the analysis to local priorities.
This does not turn an economic-impact study into a return-on-investment calculation for every port project. But a comparable evidence base can give governments, port authorities and tourism agencies a stronger starting point when allocating capital or assessing whether a development strategy is delivering the intended results.
The value becomes greater when the same exercise is repeated.
A one-off study establishes a baseline. A recurring study can begin to show whether economic contribution, spending patterns, employment or other measured impacts are moving in the same direction as cruise traffic and investment.
A benchmark designed to keep moving
Tourism Economics and FCCA are also supporting the creation of a new FCCA Research Committee, bringing cruise-line executives and destination stakeholders together to help identify research priorities and ensure the outputs address industry needs. FCCA will coordinate with partner destinations and member cruise lines, while Tourism Economics will conduct the economic analysis.
The first studies are scheduled for release during the 2027 FCCA Cruise Conference and Trade Show, followed by new editions every three years. Tourism Economics says the work will also complement its global economic-impact analysis for Cruise Lines International Association.
For Caribbean and Latin American destinations, the most useful result may therefore not be another regional spending total. It may be the ability to track individual cruise economies against a consistent reference point — and bring that evidence into the next investment decision.
Sources: FCCA Travel & Cruise Magazine, Q2 2026; Tourism Economics; FCCA/BREA 2024.
