Cruise yachting and social sustainability: An economic optimization of the crew-to-passenger ratio

This study investigates the crew-to-passenger ratio in cruise yachting, addressing the critical balance between service quality, operational costs, and social sustainability. As the sector transitions towards personalized, small-vessel experiences, determining optimal staffing levels is essential for maintaining fair labor practices and economic viability. We develop a social sustainability matrix to classify service operations and propose an economic-mathematical optimization model that balances the elasticity of service quality against the variable costs of additional crew. Our results indicate that reducing the crew-to-passenger ratio improves the perceived service quality index by 30% and allows for a 15% increase in cruise prices, but simultaneously raises crew-related variable costs by 31%. The findings demonstrate that while higher staffing enhances passenger satisfaction, it yields diminishing returns. This model provides cruise operators and charter companies with a quantitative tool to optimize staffing, manage costs, and evaluate compliance with sustainable labor standards.