The role of a yacht agency in the development of the nautical tourism industry

On the occasion of the International Tourism Day, which is celebrated worldwide on September 27th , we would like to share with you our thoughts and ideas why a yacht agency contribution is important for the development of the nautical tourism industry. But first let’s start with some numbers.

Nautical tourism is a part of coastal and marine tourism. In Europe there are approximately 36 million people who practice boating regularly, the overall quantity of boats is 6 million with around 4500 marinas and 40,000 – 70,000 people employed. The Mediterranean Sea is one of the main spots for nautical tourists which influence immensely the economy of coastal cities. Italy with its 7500 km of coastal length is a top destination for nautical tourism in the Mediterranean Sea.

In Italy there are over 166 thousand places boat. The region with the highest number of places is Sardinia (21,709), followed by Liguria (21,687) and then by Sicily, Tuscany, Campania and Friuli Venezia Giulia, with a number of berths between 15 and 20 thousand. The lowest concentration is recorded in Molise and Basilicata, i.e. the regions where they are present the smallest number of port facilities (respectively 4 and 3). (Data available in the annual report prepared by Confindustria Nautica and Fondazione Edison “La nautica in cifre”).

A yacht agency is directly involved in the development of the nautical tourism industry due to its everyday operative work: it looks for and book the best marinas for yachts, arrange clearance and immigration procedures to make the permanence of guests ashore smooth and legal, organise private car and jet transfers, advise and book the best local restaurants. Some of the most experienced and well-organised yacht agencies can provide a bespoke destination experience through crafting personalized tours like sightseeing, cooking classes, wine or oil tasting, bike excursions, private yacht parties.

Our yacht agency Marine Shore Assistance is actively involved in promoting and developing tourism in the ports of our competence in the Adriatic Sea as we highly believe that nautical tourism is an important component of the tourism in general and brings profit both at sea and ashore.