Academic literature on the topic 'Maritime tour operators'

To date, the focus of research into risks and safety in whale watching has tended to be on the safety of the whales (or dolphins/porpoises). This article explores the issue from the human side of the interaction and considers boat-based whale-watching passenger safety by reviewing evidence from available legal case records and legislation in Australia to better understand the risks and injuries that can occur to people in these marine wildlife tourism scenarios. A review of two legal cases and observations from media reports of whale-watching incidents in other jurisdictions revealed that waves and associated violent vessel movement are responsible for serious injuries to passengers. Where there was a failure to keep a proper lookout for waves and safely adapt to changing sea conditions operators have been found negligent. Legal challenges have also been successful in cases involving inaccurate and misleading promotion and communication about the nature of the tour and associated risks, and where passengers had not received adequate safety briefings. Furthermore, signed waivers that sought to protect the tour operator from responsibilities for injuries sustained aboard were not sufficient to absolve operators from liability. Given the different cultures, languages, and physical capabilities of a diverse range of international tourists interested in whale watching it is recommended that promotional materials, safety briefings, and safety communications (such as warning signs) be communicated by widely used and understood symbols and in multiple languages. In addition, some screening of passengers to ascertain preexisting medical conditions and to assess their ability to participate in the voyage safely, and with understanding of safety instructions, should be undertaken prior to a vessel leaving the dock. Templates to assist operators with their responsibilities are now available from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority.

Condutores turísticos podem exercer um papel relevante para o desenvolvimento sustentável do ecoturismo, sendo responsáveis pela condução dos turistas durante a visitação, promoção da sensibilização ambiental e cultural e contribuição no monitoramento de impactos socioambientais no local de visitação. Este estudo teve como objetivo descrever quem são e o que pensam os condutores de embarcações turísticas para observação de botos-cinza (Sotalia guianensis). Para tanto, foi registrada a interação entre condutores turísticos e turistas durante 22 passeios de observação de botos-cinza realizados entre 2014 e 2018 na Reserva de Fauna Costeira de Tibau do Sul (REFAUTS), Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil. Adicionalmente, 22 questionários foram aplicados aos condutores de embarcações turísticas na REFAUTS, em maio de 2017 e julho de 2018. Durante os 22 passeios monitorados, os turistas não receberam qualquer informação sobre a REFAUTS ou receberam informação insuficiente sobre a biologia e ecologia de botos-cinza. De acordo com as respostas obtidas nos questionários, condutores turísticos da REFAUTS são predominantemente jovens, com nível de escolaridade fundamental e têm esta atividade como principal fonte de renda. Estes condutores declararam trabalhar na REFAUTS há pelo menos sete anos e ter conhecimento insuficiente sobre a existência desta Reserva. Uma parte significativa destes profissionais também declarou desconhecer a Lei Municipal nº 349/2007, que regulamenta o transporte marítimo na REFAUTS. Contudo, estes condutores declararam reconhecer a importância dos seguintes aspectos ambientais para a REFAUTS: boto-cinza, ambiente marinho protegido, normas de conduta, programa de fiscalização e cobrança da taxa turística para a REFAUTS. Os resultados deste estudo poderão subsidiar programas de educação ambiental voltados para os condutores turísticos, tornando-os importantes aliados na conservação de botos-cinza e agentes multiplicadores no processo de sensibilização ambiental de turistas na REFAUTS. Who are and what think the guiana dolphin-watching operators? Tour operators can play a relevant role in the sustainable development of ecotourism, being responsible for driving tourists during the visitation, promoting environmental and cultural awareness and contributing to the monitoring of social-environmental impacts in the place of visitation. This study aimed to describe who are and what think the Guiana dolphin-watching operators. We recorded the interaction between dolphin-watching operators and tourists during 22 tours conducted between 2014 and 2018 in the Coastal Wildlife Reserve of Tibau do Sul (REFAUTS), Rio Grande do Norte State, Brazil. In addition, 22 questionnaires were applied to dolphin-watching operators at the REFAUTS in May 2017 and July 2018. During the 22 tours monitored, tourists did not receive any information about the REFAUTS or received insufficient information about the biology and ecology of Guiana dophin (Sotalia guianensis). According to the answers obtained in the questionnaires, dolphin-watching operators are predominantly young, with elementary scholarly and have this activity as the main source of income. These dolphin-watching operators reported that they have worked in the REFAUTS for at least seven years and that they have insufficient knowledge about the existence of this Reserve. A significant number of these professionals also reported that they do not know the Municipal Law no 349/2007, which regulates maritime transport at the REFAUTS. However, these dolphin-watching operators reported that they recognize the importance of the following environmental aspects for the REFAUTS: Guiana dolphin, protected marine area, codes of conduct, inspection program and tourist tax for the REFAUTS. The results of this study may subsidize environmental education programs for dolphin-watching operators, making them important partners in the conservation of Guiana dolphin and multipliers in the process of environmental awareness of tourists in the REFAUTS. KEYWORDS: Dolphin; Environmental Perception; Environmental Planning; Pipa Beach; Dolphin-Watching.

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The activity of tourism maritime cruise operation started in Brazil over 60 years ago, although it has gained space in the national economic scenario just recently, thus emerging as one of the country's main and most promising tourism modalities. Encouraged by the excellent cruise seasons of the decade, foreign ship companies, local businessmen, governmental entities and the society in general, turn their attention to this segment. In the 2008/2009 season, for example, ship companies served about 520 thousand guests in their 16 ships. If this volume were not enough high, the segment announces 18 ships for the 2009/2010 season, with capacity to attend 920 thousand guests. Estimates in the sector on the potential of this activity point out that the market may reach the mark of 2 million passengers in short time. For all this volume of guests served and the segment potential scope, the operation of maritime cruises in the country is still little known, mainly as to the accounting and management approach. Many are the actors involved in this process who take part in the several steps of this activity's production chain. The cruise operating company relates to each one of them and carries out basic functions of promoting and selling cruises, as well as that of administering a few activities while the ships are in national waters. For this purpose, they interact with the very foreign ship company, travel agencies, representative agencies, port agencies, government entities, several suppliers and, of course, passengers. The organization and management of all these relationships is something that can be very complex on the operational point of view. In this sense, the importance of the accounting control of these companies has been confirmed. The operating company's controllership division has been outstanding as it develops and exceptional work of managing these relationships. Based on a solid accounting foundation, these divisions have been meeting the needs of managers, thus producing information of a relevant nature and in proper time, helping the business management process. It is in the accounting sphere that these companies search for a relevant part of the operation information and which encompasses a few interesting specificities under the accounting perspective. The management of charter contracts, advance payments received by passengers, advance payment of commissions to travel agents or marketing expenses, the entry of revenues resulting from the sale of coastal or international cruises, among others, are aspects that are considered part of this set of specificities. Likewise, the relationships with the ship companies are also specific topics of this segment. We can note that the management of the cash flow and these coastal cruise contracts are key factors for the success of these businesses. This case study, developed with two of the main cruise companies of the Brazilian cruise industry, Ibero Cruzeiros and Costa Cruzeiros, does an analysis in detail of the aspects of this activity, contributing for the knowledge formation of the tourism cruise operation and the importance of the accounting control in these companies as well as the accounting practices used by the operators in the control of the main operations
A atividade de operação de cruzeiros marítimos de turismo teve início, no Brasil, há mais de 60 anos, embora, somente agora, ganhe espaço no cenário econômico nacional, despontando como uma das principais e mais promissoras modalidades do turismo do país. Incentivada pelas excelentes temporadas de cruzeiros da década, armadoras estrangeiras, empresários locais, entidades governamentais e sociedade em geral, voltam suas atenções ao segmento. Na temporada de 2008/2009, por exemplo, as armadoras atenderam em seus 16 navios cerca de 520 mil hóspedes. Como se esse volume não fosse bastante elevado, o segmento anuncia 18 navios para a temporada 2009/2010, com capacidade para o atendimento de 920 mil hóspedes. Estimativas do setor sobre o potencial dessa atividade indicam que o mercado pode atingir a marca de 2 milhões de passageiros em pouco tempo. Apesar de todo esse volume de hóspedes atendidos e do potencial de alcance do segmento, a operação de cruzeiros marítimos no país ainda é pouco conhecida, principalmente sobre o enfoque contábil e de gestão. São muitos os atores envolvidos nesse processo e que participam das diversas fases da cadeia de produção dessa atividade. A operadora de cruzeiros relaciona-se com cada um deles e executa as funções básicas de promoção e vendas dos cruzeiros, bem como a de administração de algumas atividades enquanto os navios se encontram em águas nacionais. Para tanto, interage com a própria armadora estrangeira, as agências de viagem, as agências representantes, as agências portuárias, as entidades governamentais, diversos fornecedores e, é claro, com os passageiros. A organização e a gestão de todas essas relações é algo que, sob o ponto de vista operacional, pode ser considerado bastante complexo. Nesse sentido, a importância do controle contábil, nessas empresas, tem se confirmado. A divisão de Controladoria das operadoras tem se destacado à medida que desenvolve um excepcional trabalho de gerenciamento dessas relações. Calcada em um forte embasamento teórico contábil, essas divisões vêm atendendo às necessidades dos gestores, produzindo informação de natureza relevante e em tempo adequado e auxiliando no processo de gerenciamento do negócio. É na contabilidade que essas empresas buscam uma parte importante das informações da operação e que englobam certas particularidades interessantes sob a ótica contábil. O gerenciamento de contratos de afretamento, antecipação recebida de passageiros, pagamento antecipado de comissões a agentes de viagem ou de despesas de marketing, o registro das receitas provenientes da venda de cruzeiros de cabotagem ou internacional, entre outros, são aspectos considerados parte desse conjunto de particularidades. Da mesma forma, as relações com as armadoras, também, são temas específicos desse segmento. Note-se que a gestão do fluxo de caixa e desses contratos de cabotagem são fatores-chave para o sucesso desses negócios. Este estudo de caso, desenvolvido com duas das principais empresas de cruzeiros do mercado brasileiro, a Ibero Cruzeiros e a Costa Cruzeiros, faz uma análise detalhada de todos esses aspectos da atividade, contribuindo para a formação de conhecimento sobre a operação de cruzeiros de turismo e a importância do controle contábil nessas empresas, bem como as práticas contábeis utilizadas pelas operadoras no controle das operações de maior relevância

Com o presente estudo pretende-se analisar o estado da arte e investigar a opinião dos operadores marítimo-turísticos que oferecem o produto “Mergulho com Tubarões” nos Açores, com vista a concluir acerca do potencial estratégico deste produto turístico nessa região. Como tal, procedeu-se a uma observação direta na qual se identificaram fatores chave sobre os quais era necessário recolher dados concretos. Entre eles, destacam-se a qualidade dos recursos naturais existentes, as infraestruturas disponíveis e a sua adequação à atividade, o conhecimento das especificidades operacionais desta atividade na região, bem como o valor socioeconómico deste produto. Por último, definiram-se linhas para um plano de desenvolvimento estratégico para o produto na região, tendo em vista potencializar os pontos fortes e as oportunidades já existentes, assim como minimizar e corrigir os pontos fracos, reduzindo as principais ameaças.
This study focuses on analyzing the state of the art and investigate the maritime tour operators offering the Shark Diving product in the Azores, aiming conclusions about the strategic potential of this tourist product in the region. Therefore, a direct observation was conducted, based on several key factors which required specific data. These key factors figure aspects such as the quality of the available natural resources, the existing infrastructures and how they meet the demands of this product, learning about the operational specificities of this activity in the region, as well as the current socio-economic value of this product. Finally, defining some guidelines to a strategic plan for the development of this product in the region, with the objective of maximizing the strengths and opportunities identified, while correcting the weaknesses and minoring the main threats.