1. Essential reading:  T. Skračić, Waypoint – English Textbook for Maritime Students, Faculty of Maritime Studies, Split 2010, Units 22-28  T. Trappe & G. Tullis, Intelligent Business, Longman 2005, Units 12-14

2. Nautical tourism – Croatia's competitive product

3. competitive product, distinctive service, recognisable image and brand, shoreline, indented coastline, comparative advantages, facilities, ports of nautical tourism, ACI Club, new concepts, strategic tasks, market research, purchasing power, value for money, restructuring, redesigning the service, elite tourism, niche, benchmarking, proactive marketing

4.  Nautical tourism is the most attractive selective form of the Croatian tourism supply. Does Croatia fully appreciate its natural resource possibilities in the process of creating its competitive product?  A high-priority task is to improve and diversify the supply according to the new market preference, creating a recognisable image and brand on the nautical market.

5.  Over the past 25 years nautical tourism has developed at such a rate that it today assumes mass proportions; it has ceased to be a privilege of high social classes, although its social pattern does indicate a majority of higher-income clientele.

6.  Although at first glance nautical tourism can seem to have a highly mobile nature tied to a single form of sports and recreational activities on a vessel, due notice should be given to the significance of its stationary component, as one of the most important factors in developing and improving this form of tourism.  This stationary component consists of primary receiving facilities and supplementary facilities.

7.  Primary receiving facilities include - nautical tourism ports - dry docks - boatyards / shipyards - parking lots - shopping, tourism and catering, and - production and service facilities.  Supplementary facilities consist of - sports and recreational grounds, - other auxiliary facilities, - transportation facilities built on land (roads, railways, and airfields).

8.  All these facilities are component parts of the nautical tourism service, ranging from - services rendered aboard sailing vessels, to - services rendered in ports of nautical tourism (berth rental, boat rental, supply of goods and equipment to nautical tourists), and - supplementary services such as sports and recreational services.

9.  Nautical tourism is exceptionally suitable for expanding Croatia's tourism service. Croatia has important prerequisites for the proper development of this form of tourism, which attracts large numbers of sea and sailing enthusiasts.  The accommodation, however, is not in line with the development potential of this segment of the tourism product, and as such represents a limiting factor to increasing the presence of nautical tourism on foreign markets.

10. QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS  From 1998 to 2003 there was a significant increase in number of ports of nautical tourism. In 1998 there were 50 of them while in 2003 there were 75 ports.  The number of marinas, however, did not change a lot. In 1998 there were 47 marinas while in 2003 there were 48 marinas. At the same time, though, the number of marina berths increased by 24.4%.

11.  From 1998 to 2003 there was a significant increase (71%) in number of arrivals of tourists to ports of nautical tourism. Domestic tourists participated with only 4.5% in that number.  In December 2003, there were 11,904 vessels in ports of nautical tourism which was by 6.5% more than in 2002. 89.2% of the vessels used sea moorings while 10.8% of them used only berths on land.  Total of tourist overnights shows the same tendencies. In 2003 the number of overnights increased by 77.1% in comparison with 1998.

12. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS  A qualitative analysis shows that the largest advantages for nautical tourism are favourable natural features, i.e. very indented coastline, good connection of the coastline with the islands and a lot of adequate sites for building various tourist ports and other nautical capacities.

13. QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS  Optimum natural conditions exist in Croatia for the development of nautical tourism, in terms of: - average temperatures of the sea and air - prevailing winds - depths (for sailing and achorage) - no extreme tides or tidal streams. >>> SAFETY OF NAVIGATION

14. COMPLETE a SWOT analysis of Croatia’s nautical tourism. STRENGTHS natural features + climate = safe navigation, feeling of personal safety, local specialties............. WEAKNESSES insufficient number of berths especially for large yachts, insufficient "value for money“......... OPPORTU- NITIES: EU membership, improvement of transport facilities and infrastructure............ THREATS: mass tourism, lack of awareness, pollution, forest fires............

15. Answer the following questions: 1)Name at least 5 forms / segments of tourism. 2)Name at least 5 services included in nautical tourism product. 3)Why is nautical tourism exceptionally suitable for expanding Croatia's tourism service? 4)Is nautical tourism still a privilege of high social classes? Explain.