Economic impacts and significance of the cruise ports in the USA

There are more than 50 federally authorised ports in the USA that feature cruise ship operations, where the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is responsible for construction, operations, and maintenance. However, federal budgetary funds are allocated mostly based on tonnages and commodities shipped rather than the number of passengers served. We aim to establish an economic impact platform to capture the complexity and uniqueness of a cruise port in the value-added chain. From what comprises a cruise maritime cluster and to what extent core cruise business are integrated, the economic impact of a cruise port is much different from the existing literature considering only passenger consumption. A comprehensive model is proposed that analyses cruise ports, cruise line operations, and the role of related business in the supporting industries. Through the use of the proposed simulation platform, economic impacts are calculated for one of the busiest cruise ports in the USA, Canaveral Harbor Florida.