Nautical Tourism – Case Study in the Republic of Croatia

In order to obtain a comprehensive insight into nautical tourism, we analysed the arrivals and overnight stays in nautical charters, as well as the number of registered vessels according to length, the number of ports and marinas and the number of berths. An analysis of the correlation between the observed nautical tourism variables was also conducted. The number of arrivals and overnight stays in nautical charters has been showing an upward trend. The number of yachts or, respectively, boats that are over 12 m in length has also been increasing. The number of marinas varies in the observed period, while nautical tourism ports display a constant growth. The number of berths has also been growing in comparison with the years before, with the exception of 2013 and 2017. The correlation analysis established that the growth in the number of marinas has followed the growth in the number of vessels with lengths between 12 and 15 metres, between 15 and 20 metres and those with lengths exceeding 20 metres. The number of nautical tourism ports and the number of berths have a positive and statistically significant impact on the increase in the number of vessels that are longer than 12 metres.