The cruise industry is growing, there are more ships, and those ships are getting bigger, making itinerary planning even more complex, said Captain Vassilios Gazikas, director of marine operations at Celestyal Cruises, speaking at the MedCruise General Assembly taking place in Valletta, Malta.

Gazikas said this meant ports needed bigger facilities and more berths, and is also leading to more ports in general.

“It is very complex to develop a port in Europe,” he said, “considering local history, environmental constraints and regulations.”

Steve Young, Carnival UK’s vice president of port and shore operations, said port development goes beyond just building a berth, and now takes into account the capacity of the destination. Thus, the mainstream ports in the Mediterranean: Venice, Barcelona and Civitavecchia cannot accommodate the entire cruise market. He said all lines were looking for new places to go.

Gazikas added: “A cruise terminal is only a place for transit,” adding in an ideal world, a passenger would not spend more than 10 or 15 minutes in the terminal.

For Carnival’s big ships, Young explained the turnaround operation was broken into four hour windows.

“This can mean up to 2,000 guests in an hour,” he said, “one person every 1.8 seconds.”

Pierside, big ships require the supply chain to adapt, Young continued, meaning not only more goods, but more guides, busses and additional tourism infrastructure.

Destination selection comes down to appeal, said Ugo Savino, senior manager of itinerary strategy and planning at Carnival Cruise Line.

“A destination is a function of two factors,” he said. “Awareness and appeal; how much people know it, and how much they want to visit it.”

Over tourism remains a perception issue, explained Gerhard Lubbren, AIDA’s director of destination management.

“No golden age stands forever,” said Lubrren. “We have to be careful about public opinion … we have to anticipate the opposition and educate people.”

Said Laura Cimaglia, vice president, ports & cities and destination for MedCruise: “we need to control over tourism to prevent congestion, and to fight tourism-phobia.”