Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on marketing strategies employed by cruise operating companies

Purpose:The aim of this article is to identify and compare marketing strategies which have been employed by cruise shipping companies before the pandemic, during the crisis and currently, after the revival of the market.Design/methodology/approach: The following methodology has been employed in this article: observation, individual case studies, analysis and critique of sources and statistical methods based on secondary sources of statistics.These methods have been helpful in characterizing the phenomenon of sea-cruises, analysing the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the maritime tourism industry market and identifying marketing strategies employed by companies operating cruise ships.The character of this article is theoretical, based on the use of various studies pertaining to the analysed issues.Findings: The article explores the models of marketing strategies used by companies operating cruise ships and compares these strategies in various marketing conditions.Research limitations/implications The primary limitation is the use of analysis and critique methodology and relying on secondary statistical sources.Studies in the future may include observation of individual operating companies and the impact of those enterprises on the tourist markets.Originality/value: The article presents results of research on the phenomenon of maritime tourism which are well-recognized in Poland, although not widely known around the world.The article is addressed to tourism industry entrepreneurs and students.