Highlights of consumption and satisfaction in nautical tourism. A comparative study of visitors to the Canary Islands and Morocco

Nautical tourism is considered to be an under-exploited research area, taking into account its evolution and growth prospects. The present study was conducted with nautical tourists during their visit to the Canary Islands and Morocco between 2013 and 2014. Our aim is to better guide the creation of new joint businesses by determining the most demanded activities among the nautical tourists that visit this part of the world. Some findings indicate that tourists’ consumption and satisfaction vary between a nautical tourist that sails and a tourist motivated by other nautical activities, regardless of the destination they choose. The study also differentiates the nautical tourists’ preferences according to the most popular activities carried out at the destinations they are visiting, highlighting the role that resources such as “sea” and “nature” play as the main tourists’ motivations behind the trip. Finally, the results also reveal which elements of the nautical tourism products and services in offer are the current destinations’ weaknesses, according to the nautical tourists.