Shaping a prosperous future for nautical tourism in Europe

The Commission published a Staff Working Document on Nautical Tourism. Nautical tourism includes activities in coastal and offshore marine waters, e.g. boating, yachting, boat-based angling and wildlife watching, kayaking as well as other harbour and marina-based activities.

This sector can provide economic opportunities for coastal communities, and the paper describes several areas where action is needed to unleash this potential and overcome existing obstacles to growth. It also stresses the need to minimise adverse environmental impacts. About one in ten EU citizens (48 million) participate regularly in water sports. 36 million participate regularly in boating activities, keeping about 6 million boats in European waters. Related services like equipment repair, boat charter, marinas and others generate a significant number of jobs and revenue.  In total, the EU’s nautical tourism sector comprises up to 234 000 jobs and generates € 28 billion in revenue each year.

The European Commission has published a Staff Working Document on Nautical Tourism. Nautical tourism includes activities in coastal and offshore marine waters, e.g. boating, yachting, boat-based angling and wildlife watching, kayaking as well as other harbour and marina-based activities. Click here to read more.