Abstract
The cruise industry has become a significant component of the Colombian tourism economy and Cartagena de Indias has become the largest cruise port in the country. This paper provides a better understanding of the cruise industry by considering the expenditures of cruise ship passengers disembarking in Cartagena de Indias as a key variable in the economic analysis of the costs and benefits. The authors estimate two cross-sectional regression models for the cruising expenditure, showing the existence of different tourist profiles related to different expenditure levels. In particular, heavy spenders are distinguishable from the other segments in terms of age, hours spent off the ship, nationality, income levels and spending patterns.