At a time when the level of demand is increasing exponentially when it comes to planning a holiday, a different way of turning that time off into an unforgettable experience is emerging with particular force.
There is an indisputable fact that confirms this trend, which is that boat rental in the Spanish market has increased its turnover by 145% so far this year, compared to the same period in 2022.
More and more travellers are looking for new experiences that allow them to escape from routine and to fulfil this desire they find in boat rentals a great ally, according to data from a study by Click&Boat, the world leader in boat rentals, which has increased its global activity volume by 54% in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the same period last year.
At the same time, bookings have also increased, reaching a 163% increase during the first quarter of the year in the Spanish market: “despite a still uncertain macroeconomic context, we are seeing strong growth in yacht charter demand, clearly exceeding initial projections“. This illustrates more than ever the need to get away from it all and disconnect from everyday life. In a context of reduced purchasing power, users are anticipating even more in order to take advantage of the best offers at the best price, according to Edouard Gorioux, co-founder of Click&Boat.
Also, the desire for a holiday on the waves is so high that not only has the number of bookings and travellers renting boats for relaxation increased, but there has also been an increase in the number of companies choosing to rent a boat for their incentives. Thus, a 17% increase in the fleet available through Click&Boat in Spain has been achieved, exceeding 5,500 boats.
Specifically in the Spanish market, the platform allows you to rent boats in ports all along the coast of the country, but the point where most boats are available is the Balearic archipelago, with more than 50% of the total fleet in Spain. Moreover, among the Balearic Islands, Mallorca is the island with the most boats ready for charter, while on the mainland, Valencia is the coast with the most boats anchored for these services.
With regard to the destinations preferred by Spaniards for sailing, the national coasts are the most popular. The Balearic Islands, with Mallorca at the top of the ranking, followed by Valencia, Catalonia and Andalusia. Although other ports have also increased their bookings, such as Denia with an 86% increase in bookings in one year and the Canary Islands with an increase of 31%.
However, it is not only the Spanish market that is making bookings for holidays at sea in Spain. French, British, German and Dutch travellers also opt for the Spanish coasts for sailing. In the last year, bookings from these markets to our country have increased. In the French market the increase is 49%, in the German and Dutch markets 61%. This makes Spain the second most booked country on Click&Boat, behind France and ahead of Italy.
As for the type of boats most rented on the platform, sailboats are currently the most demanded boats before the summer period (June-July), when usually around 70% of the summer bookings made by Spanish Click&Boat users are for motorboats. The trend is that more people are opting for sailing yachts and catamarans. In fact, catamaran chartering has increased by 47% in the last year compared to the previous year. This can be explained by the fact that catamarans are a type of boat that resembles a floating hotel, providing guests with a balance between comfort and privacy. Other boats that are also popular in the Spanish market are motorboats, with an 18% increase in bookings, and gulets.
Another key factor for Spaniards when booking is the possibility of having a skipper to fulfil their wish for a holiday on board, even without the relevant licence. In fact, it is one of the rising trends that Click&Boat has been able to analyse.
On the other hand, as more than 300,000 comments and ratings in customer satisfaction surveys show, customer service is also a decisive element for the traveller. In particular, Click&Boat customers appreciate the fact that they can be served in the six main languages of the world, including Spanish, with an average response time of less than three hours.
In addition, sailing allows travellers to enjoy other activities, such as kayaking, snorkelling or fishing, or even have personalised catering with cocktail or drinks service to enjoy the sea far from the coast and in small groups of people, an aspect that, according to the company, tourists value more and more.
Click&Boat, the leading boat charter company
It all stemmed from the meeting of two entrepreneurs and a palpable reality: on average, of the one million boats in France, very few are used for more than ten days a year. Maintenance, insurance, mooring in the harbour, etc., sometimes very expensive, makes boats expensive, as annual costs account on average for 10 % of the price of the boat.
Following their numerous visits to French ports, Edouard and Jérémy came up with the idea of Click&Boat, a collaborative platform based on the trust of the owners, who share their boats to make them profitable in complete confidence and safety.
The concept is simple: owners can create a free advertisement for their boat and add photos, a description, the price and advice on the sailing area. Users then contact them directly through the Click&Boat messaging system with any questions they may have. Owners have access to the user’s nautical curriculum and can freely and safely choose suitable sailors for their vessels.
For their part, users can choose from several hundred boats in their sailing area, check the comments of other previous users and contact the owner to make sure that everything fits their sailing programme.
The profile of the traveller who is choosing the Spanish coasts and islands to enjoy nautical tourism is a man between 40 and 55 years of age who, accompanied by his family or friends, wants to enjoy the sea without restrictions, discovering unique and little-known places. With medium and medium-high purchasing power, they travel mainly between July and August and predominantly book motorboats and sailboats to move around the Spanish coastline.
The main motivations of Spanish nautical tourists in normal conditions, according to Click&Boat, are to enjoy the most beautiful beaches in the country, to relax and to live an original experience on board.
It is in this idyllic setting of experiences that the French company offers the possibility of enjoying a sailing boat cruising the Galician estuaries, snorkelling in the Balearic Islands, or unique moments on a catamaran cruising the Valencian coves, without forgetting the many other corners of the immense Spanish coastline where Click&Boat operates.
