Part 1: New Trends in Yacht Tourism

       

      The aim of the first part is to help skippers to a better understanding of how the new trends in tourism on the demand side are shaping the scope and purpose of the touristic services on the supply side in general and within the leisure yachting industry in particular. The structure of this part is as follows:

      Module 1 The new touristic profiles

      Module 2 The skipper profile

      Module 3 The cultural context of the yacht trip

      Module 4 Innovative onboard activities and services


       

      This module introduces skippers to the new tourists’ profile. The characteristics of the traditional, old fashioned tourist are presented initially, including the main purposes of travelling. Next, the differences between the old/traditional tourist and the “new” tourist are presented in comparison to one another. Finally, the factors that affect the current tourists’ choices are presented.

      This module is addressing the following:

      • Tourists’ profiles
      • Tourists’ preferences
      • Parties involved in tourism services
      • Factors affecting tourists’ destinations

      Learning objectives

      By the end of this module the skipper will be able to:

      • Understand the new trends in tourism
      • List the factors that affect tourists’ choices
      • Better understand the parties involved in the tourism business

       

      Read more

      What is addressed in this module

      Tourism is changing and these changes demand new skill sets from the modern-day skipper. The modern skipper profile will need to adapt by learning these new skills and the aim of this module will give a comparison of the typical profile of the traditional skipper vs the modern-day skipper. This module is presenting the role and responsibilities of the traditional skipper and showing in comparison how the demands of the modern tourist, who enjoy skippered charter as part of their holiday experience, has changed the role and skill set of the modern skipper.

      Learning objectives

      By the end of this module you will be able to:

      • Understand what a typical traditional ships captain profile might look like,
      • Understand what the New Skipper profile might be,
      • Identify the main differences between the two profiles?

       

      Read more

      What is addressed in this module
      The emerging trends in (yacht) tourism point to the fact that there is a growing interest in history and culture among modern tourists today. Furthermore, tourists are becoming more and more demanding. They are no longer satisfied with the so-called ‘sun and sea’ offer only. They seek new adventures and experiences while on holiday. They seek a unique, local experience. They want to be immersed in local culture, ‘to do what locals do and to eat what locals eat’. They want the ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ local experience. Since you will be the first person to whom your passenger will refer to if they need any help, including questions about destinations they are about to visit, you need to be well prepared to give all information they need. You also have to know how to properly do that in order to fulfil their expectations, enhance their sailing experience and increase their overall satisfaction with the yacht trip.

      Learning objectives 
      By the end of this part you will be able to:
      • Understand what is the cultural context of the yacht trip and why is it important
      • Understand what are the ‘cultural attractions’ of the region
      • Find information on the cultural context of the area where you are sailing and learn the most basic facts about it
      • Appropriately and effectively communicate (transfer) this information to the passengers on board.

       

      Read more

      What is addressed in this module
      The subject of this module is the presentation of 8 innovative activities and services which are designed to be performed on board of boats for tourist services. Some of these activities/services could be included in the program for the boat trip and announced to the tourists before the start of the trip. The rest of them have the potential to be used by the skippers in case of unfavourable conditions onboard, like:
      – bad weather
      – unhappy tourists
      – a lot of kids on board
      – an audience with high expectations.
      The 8 activities and services which will be explained in details in this module are innovative and are not part of standard tourist programs for boat trips,

      Learning objectives
      By the end of this module the skipper will be able:
      – to make the boat trip more interesting for the tourists and to improve their experience on board;
      – to engage the tourists in various activities depending on the specific conditions for the respective boat trip (like weather, tourists expectations, size of groups, etc.);
      – to perform confidently all of these activities/services;
      – to improve their communication skills on board.

      Read more