Industry Development
Shore Excursions & Tour Operators
Build better experiences. Strengthen your business. Connect with the cruise industry.
Shore excursions are one of the most important connections between cruise guests and the destinations they visit.
FCCA works with tour operators, attractions, destination management companies and other experience providers to help strengthen their products, understand cruise-industry expectations and build the capabilities and relationships needed to serve cruise guests successfully.
Through industry training, professional development, research, risk-management resources, member visibility and direct engagement with FCCA Member Lines, FCCA helps tourism businesses become stronger participants in the cruise economy.
Grow Your Cruise Business
Understand what cruise lines need.
Working with the cruise industry requires more than having a great tour or attraction.
Cruise lines evaluate experiences based on factors such as guest experience, operational reliability, capacity, safety, insurance, transportation, scheduling and the ability to consistently deliver a quality product.
FCCA helps businesses better understand these expectations and prepare their operations for the cruise market.
Areas of focus may include:
- Cruise-industry operating practices
- Shore excursion product development
- Guest experience
- Tour scheduling and duration
- Capacity and scalability
- Transportation and logistics
- Safety and risk management
- Insurance requirements
- Accessibility
- Service standards
- Cruise-line expectations
- Destination coordination
Cruise-Ready Operator Development
Build the capabilities needed to serve cruise guests.
FCCA works with industry partners to provide training and professional development for tour operators, guides and other tourism businesses serving cruise destinations.
Programs can help operators improve their business practices, strengthen service standards and better understand the operational expectations of cruise lines.
ACE Tour Operator Designation
Through FCCA’s relationship with Aquila’s Center for Cruise Excellence, eligible operators can pursue the ACE Tour Operator Designation.
The program provides a structured approach to strengthening tour operations and demonstrating commitment to cruise-industry standards and professional development.
FCCA Associate Members receive exclusive access and benefits associated with the ACE Tour Operator Designation under FCCA’s current membership program.
Tour Guide Excellence
The guest experience often depends on the people delivering it.
Tour Guide Excellence training helps guides strengthen communication, service delivery and the overall experience provided to cruise guests.
FCCA members currently receive discounted access to eligible training.
Safety, Insurance & Operational Readiness
Protect the guest. Protect the business.
Operational reliability and risk management are critical components of cruise tourism.
FCCA helps operators access resources designed to strengthen safety practices, insurance coverage and operational readiness.
Through FCCA’s industry partnerships, eligible members can access benefits such as discounted tour-operator insurance programs and related risk-management resources.
Areas may include:
- Tour operator insurance
- Safety planning
- Incident preparedness
- Transportation standards
- Operational risk
- Business continuity
- Guest protection
Develop Better Shore Experiences
Turn local experiences into cruise-ready products.
FCCA can help destinations and tourism businesses better understand what makes a successful shore excursion.
Through research, cruise-line engagement and destination-development programs, operators can gain insight into passenger preferences, product trends and opportunities to strengthen existing experiences or develop new ones.
Potential areas include:
- Adventure
- Culture and heritage
- Food and culinary experiences
- Nature and eco-tourism
- Beaches and water activities
- Shopping
- Family experiences
- Luxury and premium experiences
- Accessible experiences
- Small-group experiences
Program
Shore Excursion Development Program
From local idea to cruise-ready experience.
A structured FCCA program to help destinations and operators:
- 1
Assess the existing product
- 2
Develop the experience
- 3
Prepare operations
- 4
Train staff
- 5
Strengthen safety and risk practices
- 6
Present the product to the industry
Distribution
Get your products in front of the right cruise industry partners.
Developing a strong excursion product is only part of the opportunity. Operators also need clear pathways to the cruise lines, destination partners and distribution channels that can help bring those experiences to market.
FCCA helps tour operators and attractions strengthen their industry visibility, understand how cruise distribution works and build relationships with the people responsible for shore excursions, destination experiences and onboard product.
Through FCCA membership, events, industry meetings and member directories, operators can:
- Increase visibility with cruise-line shore excursion and destination teams
- Present products and capabilities to relevant industry decision-makers
- Build relationships through FCCA conferences, meetings and networking programs
- Better understand cruise-line sourcing, contracting and operational requirements
- Connect with destination organizations and other industry partners
- Use FCCA research and market intelligence to support product and distribution decisions
For operators seeking deeper engagement, FCCA Platinum Membership provides additional access to one-on-one meetings, PAMAC programming, Operations Committee meetings and other opportunities to build direct relationships across the cruise industry.
Connect With Cruise Lines
Build relationships with the people shaping the guest experience.
One of FCCA’s most valuable roles is creating opportunities for tourism businesses to engage directly with the cruise industry.
Through FCCA events, meetings and membership programs, tour operators and attractions can build relationships with cruise executives and better understand how shore experiences are evaluated, developed and operated.
Prepare, participate and become visible.
Associate Membership
$500annually
Associate Membership gives tourism businesses an affordable entry point into the FCCA network. Current benefits particularly relevant to tour operators include:
- Discounted FCCA Cruise Conference & Trade Show registration
- Discounted Tour Guide Excellence training
- Access associated with the ACE Tour Operator Designation
- Discounted tour-operator insurance
- FCCA research and statistical studies
- FCCA Member Directory profile
- Cruising Magazine conference listing
- Promotional industry updates
- Use of the FCCA Associate Member logo
Build deeper relationships and gain executive access.
Platinum Membership
$25,000annually
For companies seeking more direct and sustained engagement with cruise-line decision-makers, Platinum Membership provides a higher level of access to the FCCA network. Relevant benefits include:
- Exclusive one-on-one meetings at the FCCA Conference & Trade Show
- PAMAC participation
- Access to FCCA Operations Committee meetings
- Private and VIP networking opportunities
- Speaking and presentation opportunities
- Platinum directory presence
- Cruising Magazine profile opportunities
- Participation in selected FCCA and industry events
Research & Market Intelligence
Understand the cruise guest and the market you serve.
Tour operators can use FCCA Research & Intelligence to better understand:
- Cruise passenger profiles
- Origin markets
- Passenger spending
- Shore excursion participation
- Visitor interests
- Destination performance
- Cruise capacity
- Deployment trends
- Economic impact
Questions research can help answer
- What types of experiences are growing?
- What does a particular passenger segment buy?
- How much time do guests typically spend ashore?
- What price points perform?
- Where are destination product gaps?
Increase Your Industry Visibility
Make it easier for the cruise industry to discover your business.
FCCA members can maintain an industry profile within the FCCA Member Directory.
Sample member profile
Island Routes Caribbean Adventures
Tour Operator
- Destinations Served
- Jamaica • Bahamas • Dominican Republic
- Experience Categories
- AdventureCulturalCulinaryWater Activities
- Capabilities
- Group capacity, Transportation, Languages, Accessibility, Cruise ports served
- Credentials
- ACE designation, Insurance, Relevant training
- Contacts
- Authorized business-development contacts
Your Path Into the Cruise Industry
- 01
Develop
Build a compelling cruise experience.
- 02
Prepare
Strengthen operations, safety, insurance and service standards.
- 03
Learn
Train operators, guides and staff.
- 04
Connect
Meet cruise-line executives and destination partners.
- 05
Promote
Build your FCCA profile and industry visibility.
- 06
Grow
Use research, relationships and industry participation to expand your cruise business.