Rethinking City Maps for River Cruise Tourism: A Guest-Centric Approach

This bachelor thesis analyses guest navigation in river cruise tourism, focusing on the effectiveness of city maps provided onboard and identifying opportunities to enhance the guest experience through improved formats and features.

Lars Moser & Pascal Jauslin, 2025

Type of Thesis Bachelor Thesis
Client River Cruise Company
Supervisor Nathan, Ganesh
Views: 3
The client, a river cruise company, provides printed city maps to guests for shore excursions. Feedback indicated varying satisfaction levels and potential gaps in meeting modern navigation needs. The project aimed to assess guest preferences, identify usability challenges, and explore digital feature integration without compromising accessibility for all age groups.
The study combined a quantitative online survey with qualitative interviews of guests and staff. Data was analyzed using Tivian and MAXQDA to identify patterns in map usage, satisfaction, and feature demand. Literature on tourism navigation tools and guest experience supported the evaluation and interpretation of results.
Findings showed a high use of printed maps but growing interest in digital options, especially among younger guests and tech-comfortable seniors. For digital options the majority valued features like real-time updates and offline access, while AR features were less relevant. Printed maps faced challenges such as outdated content and limited points of interest. Recommendations include improving printed map design and readability, introducing optional digital maps with search engines, and ensuring offline functionality to support diverse guest needs. Implementation can be phased to balance cost and adoption, positioning the company for both immediate improvements and future digital integration.
Studyprogram: Business Administration International Management (Bachelor)
Keywords Maps, Guest-Centric, Tourism
Confidentiality: vertraulich
Type of Thesis
Bachelor Thesis
Client
River Cruise Company
Authors
Lars Moser & Pascal Jauslin
Supervisor
Nathan, Ganesh
Publication Year
2025
Thesis Language
English
Confidentiality
Confidential
Studyprogram
Business Administration International Management (Bachelor)
Location
Olten
Keywords
Maps, Guest-Centric, Tourism