Activities

1. The cruise industry is experiencing very rapid growth in demand. Make a list of the benefits of a cruise holiday that may explain this boom. You may find the information on the Cruise Information Service Web site useful. (http://www.discover-cruises.co.uk/default.aspx)
   
   
2. Should the environment be protected against pollution caused by the cruise industry? Would this protection be effective if each country introduced its own regulations? Which international organisation should be responsible for introducing global regulation?
   
   
3. The Pew Oceans Commission, reporting in June 2003 on the state of oceans in the USA, found that cruise ships represent a continuing source of pollution.

   'Legal loopholes and poor enforcement allow significant point sources of pollution', including cruise ships, 'to go unregulated'. (Pew Report p.60)

   'While taking a cruise can provide an invaluable experience for passengers, cruise ships can pose a particular risk to the very environments they seek to explore'. (Pew Report p.66)

   (For interest, the Commission's report (http://www.pewtrusts.org/pdf/env_pew_oceans_final_report.pdf) [PDF, 5.6 MB] and executive summary (http://www.pewtrusts.org/pdf/env_pew_oceans_final_report_summary.pdf) [PDF, 308 KB] can be accessed on the Pew Charitable Trusts Web site.)
   
   With this in mind, write a short press release for EasyCruise, Stelios' new budget travel company. The press release should stress the economic benefits of the cruise industry.
   
   
4. Pressure groups can mount highly effective campaigns against malpractice in business. Carry out some research into the current activities of a pressure group of your choice, from the following list:
   • Friends of the Earth (http://www.foe.co.uk/)
   • Greenpeace (http://www.greenpeace.org/international/)
   • Surfers Against Sewage (http://www.sas.org.uk/)
   • National Union of Students (http://www.nusonline.co.uk/)
   • Charter 88 (http://www.charter88.org.uk/)
   • British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (http://www.buav.org/)
   In the case of your chosen pressure group, carry out the following tasks:
   • What is the group's mission?
   • What are its current campaigns?
   • How effective is its Web site at communicating the group's purpose?
   • What impact has the group had? Look for a section of the group's Web site which celebrates its successes.
   
   
5. Plan to carry out a role play where small groups of students work in the following stakeholder groups, representing these interests:
   • The cruise ship industry
   • Cruise customers
   • An anti-environmental pollution pressure group
   • Local or state government in a region visited by cruise liners
   Make a list of points that your group wants to stress when discussing the future growth of the cruise industry and demand for cruise holidays. Bear in mind the following characteristics:
   • The increased cost of compliance with environmental protection measures
   • Opportunities to gain positive PR from 'cleaner' cruises
   • The increased cost of cruise holidays as industry passes on costs to customers
   • The destruction of areas of outstanding natural beauty caused by the activities of the cruise industry
   • The increased economic activity that the cruise industry generates and the increased affluence that follows
   In your wider group, debate this question: Should the cruise industry be regulated by law against the environmental damage caused by its activities?