Maritime, coastal and cruise tourism
Blue Growth study:
The extraordinary beauty, cultural wealth and great diversity of EU's coastal areas have made them the preferred destination for many holidaymakers in Europe and abroad, making coastal and maritime tourism an important tourism sector. Employing over 3.2 million people, this sector generates a total of € 183 billion in gross value added and representing over one third of the maritime economy. As much as 51% of bed capacity in hotels across Europe is concentrated in regions with a sea border.
Coastal and maritime tourism: Coastal tourism refers to land-based tourism activities including swimming, surfing, sunbathing and other coastal recreation activities taking place on the coast for which the proximity to the sea is a condition including also their respective services. Maritime tourism refers to sea-based activities such as boating, yachting, cruising, nautical sports as well as their land-based services [1].
Cruise tourism is defined as “any maritime-based tour by fare paying guests onboard a vessel whose primary purpose is the accommodation of guests, to visit a variety of destinations rather than to operate a set route.”[2]