A SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS OF INTERCONNECTIONS AMONG CRUISE PORTS IN THE CARIBBEAN REGION = 캐리비안 지역 크루즈 항만의 상호 연결에 대한 소셜 네트워크 분석

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Despite the clear dominance of the Caribbean as the leading cruise destination in the world, leading the global cruise market with a solid thirty-two percent which double, research that focuses on the network of cruise ports in the region is quite rare, not to say non-existence. Several researchers have focused on different fields encompassed to the industry such as; economic balance, social impact, cruise marketing, and port of call current status.

To fill this void, the current study carried out social network analysis to inquire into cruise port interconnections and their influence on the operation of the entire Caribbean port network. Resultant models aim to be comprehended on a graphical basis for a better understanding and consistent interpretation. Aiming to demarcate connections and ports with significant importance in the global context of the Caribbean region.

The results are summarized as follows: First, in terms of connections among ports linked to the Caribbean region, a European port, Southampton harbor, exhibits the most significant in-degree and out-degree centrality. For in-degree centrality, Civitavecchia, Fort Lauderdale, Copenhagen, and Miami complement the index. Philipsburg, Copenhagen, Barcelona, and Civitavecchia quota the top five for the out-degree centrality index. Nevertheless, ports within the Caribbean region are still significantly represented, containing five of the top ten ports as regards both indexes.

Second, in the matter of port influence, Caribbean ports are considered the most important with respect to hub and authority centrality, especially those located in Florida and the eastern Caribbean. For hub index, Fort Lauderdale leads the ranking followed by Basseterre, Philipsburg, St. Johns, and Miami. Hence, Philipsburg, Fort Lauderdale, Basseterre, Miami, and St. Johns complement authority index on that respective order.

This research contributes to the industry through its presentation of an extended panorama of the cruise network in the region, subjecting several ports to respective analyses that describe their principal characteristics and attractiveness in the industry. Complementary, this paper also come up with contributions to the academic field by providing an analysis of the interaction between Caribbean ports and other ports in different regions, focusing on their influence in the region and analyzing their most relevant features.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 11
• 1.1. Research background and purpose 11
• 1.2. Thesis Structure 20
• CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND INFORMATION 21
• 2.1. Overview of the Cruise industry 21
• 2.2. Overview of the Caribbean region 25
• 2.3. The economic impact of the cruise industry in the greater Caribbean 28
• CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW 30
• CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY 34
• CHAPTER 5: CASE STUDY 38
• 5.1. Out-degree, in-degree, and betweenness centrality 38
• 5.1.1. Out-degree centrality 38
• 5.1.2. In-degree centrality 41
• 5.1.3. European influence in the Caribbean network 44
• 5.1.3. Betweenness centrality 49
• 5.2. Hub and authority centrality 52
• 5.2.1. Hub Centrality 52
• 5.2.1.1. Fort Lauderdale, Florida 54
• 5.2.1.2. Miami, Florida 56
• 5.2.1.3. Basseterre, St Kitts & Nevis 58
• 5.2.2. Authority Centrality 60
• 5.2.2.1. Philipsburg, Sint Maarten 62
• 5.2.2.2. St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda 64
• CHAPTER 6. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION 67
• REFERENCES 70