Conceptualizing Cruise Tourism in Lake Victoria: An Exploratory Blueprinting Analysis of Kisumu Port, Kenya

Cruise tourism is the fastest growing segment of the tourism industry but has not been exploited in Lake Victoria, yet it has great potential, which will significantly impact regional tourism. This paper aims to conceptualize cruise tourism in Lake Victoria using blueprinting analysis in Kisumu port, Kenya. A systematic literature review was adopted in this paper to explore the possibility of having cruise tourism in Lake Victoria in the port of Kisumu under the guidance of the Tourism Life Cycle theory (TALC). A total of three journal articles and two conference papers were considered sufficient to provide relevant findings for this study. The findings indicate there are scant studies on cruise tourism in Lake Victoria in Kisumu Port. Service blueprinting analysis was also adopted in this paper as the technique to seek to investigate the status of cruise tourism in Lake Victoria. This was achieved by examining the relationship between service design concepts and the management of visitors’ experience and satisfaction in cruise tourism. This showed that service blueprinting of cruise tourism in Lake Victoria should be done by mapping out events and processes for passengers to experience from arrival at the port of embarkation to the port of disembarkation. Policymakers in the tourism industry in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania should coordinate their strategies, plans, and actions toward the development of cruise tourism in Lake Victoria with the expectation of boosting tourism in the region through blueprinting analysis.