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The Rolex Middlesea sailing event takes place in Malta on an annual basis. The race forms part of a number of new tourism initiatives supported by the Maltese Government. These aim to diversify the Maltese tourism economy from reliance on mass tourism to more niche or specialist forms based, for example, upon the “Blue Economy”. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the impact and future of sailing events using the Rolex Middlesea sailing event as a specific case. In turn it evaluates current and future contributions to both the Maltese tourist economy and broader experiences and lessons of such events for other regional destinations. Consideration is given to the overall impact of the Rolex race for Maltese tourism; how the event can be improved to enhance its contribution to Maltese tourism; and what challenges the event faces in promoting Malta as an “alternative” tourism destination. Conclusions assess the benefits and barriers for developing maritime events and for sailing and yachting sectors as an alternative tourism option for Malta. In turn, it provides a specific and unique case that reviews implications for such events and, at a broader policy context, lessons for developing niche event markets for tourism destinations generally.

This research focusses upon an inductive approach using qualitative and case study research methodologies. Secondary data for events management, sports tourism sailing and yachting and niche market development provide a contextual framework. Primary research is used to collect qualitative data which are based on purposeful sample selection of interviews from professionals associated with Maltese maritime industries and key stakeholder groups. The data are analysed through discourse analysis techniques utilising grid matrices to evaluate and ascertain common themes and responses that occur from the discussions and questions asked.

Results point to lessons learnt and future policy directions for the Blue economy and sailing and yachting as drivers for change. Results show that the RMSR can clearly create opportunities for the establishment of new innovative tourism markets. In turn, it is also recognised that this can lead to a stronger sailing and yachting tourism industry not only within Malta but also help regenerate or sustain interest in maritime traditions and stimulate new opportunities for maritime tourism and broader opportunities for the growth of the “blue economy” agenda across the region and further afield.

This single case study can be best described as an “exploratory” study. It deals with how an event is structured, functions and performs particularly within the different inter-organisational partnerships. In this context, the research deals with the case study of a real-life event and therefore its academic value may tend to be rather specific and industry focussed. The empirical value of the enquiry, nonetheless, can provide a platform to draw more general assertions regarding the hosting of sailing and yachting events and consequences more broadly for events management theory and practice.

Evidence from the research also suggests that sailing and yachting has the capability of lending itself to many different areas of investment and new business development opportunities such as overwintering for yachts and corporate business event sponsorships linked to a growing MICE market. The need to engage with local communities at a local level is also recognised as a potential for building recognition and skill capacity. This, in turn, can assist local host communities to familiarise themselves with the discipline of sailing as a life skill simultaneously strengthening and encouraging maritime tradition and opening opportunities for social development, business and employment growth.

The RMSR demonstrates that such an event can assist local host communities to familiarise themselves with the discipline of sailing as a life skill simultaneously strengthening and encouraging maritime tradition and opening opportunities for social development, business and employment growth. The growth potential of the RMSR is thus broad and, in many ways, may continue to assist Malta in diversifying its traditional tourism markets, capitalising assets, developing opportunity for its local communities, encouraging business opportunity and assisting in developing a higher quality tourism focus for the Islands.

Detailed and insightful research on sailing and yachting in Malta remains fairly limited and there is little hard evidence to prove the value of such events since there is little available data on differential spending patterns and little cost/benefit analysis undertaken. The RMSR case provide unique research which sets out to explore the role of the RMSR to Malta’s tourism product, identify and evaluate factors for success, evaluate key contemporary issues and challenges in hosting the event, evaluate the future potential of such events for Malta’s tourism economy and draw broader benefits and lessons for hosting events of this nature.

This paper aims to re-examine the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and the realities for maritime and tourism-dependent countries.

The authors analyzed all the papers presented in the issue and provided summaries for each to facilitate a general synopsis.

In addition to examining the reality of 4IR in the context of the maritime and tourism industries and education, the various papers presented contain inter-linkages of purpose, concept and arising issues that are paramount to the success of any industrial concern in the face of 4IR.

While the focus of all papers stems from 4IR and the realities for maritime and tourism dependent countries, they also serve to emphasize the implications for these industries, if they fail to attend to the immediate and future applications of 4IR.

The purpose of this paper is to profile the WHATT theme issue: “The fourth industrial revolution: What are the realities for maritime- and tourism-dependent countries?”, with reference to the experiences of the theme editors and writing team.

Structured questions were used to enable the theme editors to reflect on the rationale for the theme issue question, the starting point, the selection of the writing team and material and the editorial process.

This paper identifies the ways in which both industry and education need to change and embrace emerging technologies with particular reference to tourism and maritime provision and infrastructure in the Caribbean region.

The theme issue outcomes provide indicators and action points for tourism and maritime industry stakeholders and for academics involved in planning and delivering learning support to these industries.

This paper draws on discussion and applied research with industry to identify and assess the likely impact of the fourth industrial revolution in tourism- and maritime-dependent countries. Taken together, the theme issue collection of articles provides a rich picture of the changes occurring and prospects for the future.

This paper aims to examine the floating dry dock and 3D printing technologies in relation to the ways in which they have the potential to complement each other. This relates to how the tourism and maritime industries in Jamaica could become more robust and competitive.

This study used a qualitative approach through the application of personal interviews and data from secondary sources.

Although Jamaica is positioning itself to become one of the leading maritime and logistics centres in the world, the government has not fully taken advantage of the fourth industrial revolution and its enabling factors. The integration of the floating dry dock with 3D printing technology has the ability to advance Jamaica from its current position to become a more economically viable country.

Time was a limitation for the researchers in conducting this study. As a result, a more robust field study is needed to fully understand the impact of the fourth industrial revolution technologies on the maritime and tourism industries.

An investment in a floating dry dock and 3D printing technology will spur job creation. The researchers expect improved economic activity in Jamaica resulting from many businesses being created and/or improved.

The quality of life is expected to increase because of the greater economic yields the country will receive from such investments.

This paper explored the combination of the floating dry dock and 3D printing technologies and their impact on the tourism and maritime industries in relation to increasing service value and economic yields.

The “Blue Economy” is a recent topic of study that spans those economic activities which depend on ecosystem services, thereby including such sectors as tourism, maritime transport, energy, water, fishing, among others. However, there is only limited research approaching the added value produced by marine activities connected with these sectors. This research contributes to the literature by providing interpretations of blue economy factors in terms of their added economic value. The authors deployed secondary data from 2009 to 2020 from the European Union Economy Database to analyze six sectors involving maritime activities: coastal tourism, living marine resources, non-living marine resources, port activities, shipbuilding and repair, and maritime transport. This study highlights how the sustainability of countries depends on the ability to manage their natural resources, especially maritime resources. Furthermore, sustainability depends on the economic interpretation of countries and sectors over time with regard to creating value and managing the activities derived from ecosystem services.

The cruise industry has witnessed steady growth, with passenger volume increasing from 17.8 million in 2009 to 30 million in 2019. In the context of global competition and an uncertain business environment, competition in business has changed dramatically from battles of “firm versus firm” to “supply chain versus supply chain”. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to understand the cruise industry from a chain perspective, which has not drawn widespread research attention.

This paper brings together the insights, opinions, concepts and frameworks from a literature review of different disciplines (maritime shipping, tourism management, logistics management, operations management and supply chain management) and analysis results from 22 semi-structured interviews to make an early attempt to conceptualise the cruise supply chain (CSC).

The cruise supply chain is elaborated on the process, the role of each entity and its characteristics by comparing with the maritime supply chain and tourism supply chain. Based on the understanding of the CSC, two specific characteristics of the Chinese CSC are examined, which need further investigation.

The CSC is articulated with detailed processes and characteristics based on the literature review and empirical study. The findings of this paper not only advance the knowledge of the supply chain in the cruise industry but also highlight the importance of further research on the CSC.

Cities by the sea have a strong identity which comes from the historic relationship between an urban community and the ocean and is important in attracting tourists. This chapter analyzes urban regeneration, waterfront redevelopment, touristic valorization, and marketing strategies used by seaside cities that, by sharing their maritime culture, have achieved integrated urban transformations. This is facilitated by developing a “collaborative commons” of producers and consumers for the touristic enhancement of the metropolitan area such as Naples.

The use of technology has remained a staple in modern day industry because it creates an enabling environment, which promotes innovation that has propelled globalization. Maritime and tourism are two such critical sectors that have benefited from such technology and stand to benefit more in light of the fourth industrial revolution. The handcart has been used by humans for centuries as a mode of transportation. It has remained relevant to this day, more so a positive contributor to public market experience in developing countries. Notwithstanding, this phenomenon remained largely under-explored and informal with little to no integration in the planning of public markets or market districts. As such, little study or research exists to inform policies to improve and integrate the handcart profession in the overall planning and rejuvenation of downtown Kingston, Jamaica. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to understand the characteristics and benefits of the handcart logistics by investigating the socioeconomic and spatial dynamics surrounding the operations of this mode of transportation.

Qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to completely grasp the complexity of factors that influence and sustain the handcart trade within the coronation market as well as its contribution to Jamaica’s economy. Collection of data was achieved via the administration of questionnaires supported by observations and interviews. Geographic Information System (GIS) was used along with satellite images to integrate spatial representations in the analysis and discussions of results.

Consistent with the reviewed literature, the results and analyses revealed that, despite the handcart’s informality and inadequate infrastructural support, handcarts are generally perceived as beneficial to market districts. They fill the transportation gaps where formal governance operations failed and contribute to the local economy by providing employment for low-skilled persons. The handcart industry has been sustained because of the need for the service by mostly vendors and shoppers but more so because of the economic benefits that have been accrued by builders, owners and operators.

The research focused on handcarts used to convey goods and not carts used as mobile vending carts. In addition, the geographical scope of the research is restricted to the Coronation Market in Kingston. Obtaining knowledge about the sector poses a challenge because some or all aspects of informal activity are not recorded. Various opportunities exist for the improvement of handcarts. As such, they must be incorporated in any future transportation improvement plans in the city of Kingston, Jamaica.

Despite the attempts to regularize the handcart phenomenon in the downtown Kingston market district, the handcart operators are still not incorporated in various plans and improvement initiatives. Notwithstanding, the benefits to the transportation gap and local economy warrants the need to pay keen attention to this phenomenon and promote regularization. With the introduction of Kingston as a UNESCO Creative City in 2016 and the advent of Airbnb, the potential exists for exponential growth in cultural and community tourism in downtown Kingston. The use of the handcart can therefore be leveraged and integrated in the tourism package to facilitate the movement of tourist luggage from bus terminals and parking lots to their destination in the downtown communities.

The handcart system is a prominent feature of market districts in Jamaica and, as such, this research bears high levels of significance because it can be replicated or used as a basis to inform handcart policies and the design to improve logistics in any tourism destination. The research serves as a body of knowledge to “all and sundry” because it unearthed some of the handcart’s attributes and contribution to the local economy, can contribute to adequate layout of Market districts by government to incorporate the handcart system, facilitate their integration in cultural and community tourism and facilitate the handcart trade being viewed by society as a profession. At the advent of this Fourth Industrial Revolution, an upgraded design of the handcart may appear.

This paper aims to examine the role of stakeholders and their interconnected relationships based on power and interests in realising sustainable development in coastal areas using the Maritime Village program in Tambaklorok, Semarang City, Indonesia as a case study.

Data were collected from in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGD) with stakeholders, observations, as well as online news, and official government reports, followed by taxonomic analysis.

The results showed the four categories of stakeholders, namely players, context setters, subjects, and crowd. The Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR), Regional Development Planning Agency (BAPPEDA) of Semarang City, Spatial Planning Agency (DISTARU) of Semarang City, and the Fisheries Office of Semarang City were found to be key players with a role in the success of the program. PT Pelindo (Indonesia Port Corporations) was identified as a context setter with low interests but high power, acting as an accelerator in the development program.

The originality of this study lied in its examination of the power and interests of stakeholders involved in government projects. It was recommended to strengthen coordination among the stakeholders to ensure the success of the program.