Differentiating Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Participation in Nautical and Adventure Sport Tourism: Cross-Sectional Analysis

Abstract Introduction. Adventure sport tourism (AST) and nautical sport tourism (NST) have some similarities but may attract different segments of tourists. The aim of this study was to evaluate and differentiate sociodemographic factors associated with participation in NST and AST. Material and methods. The participants were 678 tourists (34.11 ± 7.2 years of age) who were involved in NST (n = 311) and AST (n = 367) during the summer seasons of 2023 and 2024 in Croatia. The variables included sociodemographic factors (age, gender, education level, socioeconomic status, marital status, parenthood, urban/rural living community, and physical activity-lifestyle; all predictors), and participation in AST or NST (outcome). Results. Compared with participation in AST, older age (OR = 2.41, 95% CI: 2.00-2.80), male gender (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.81-2.33), and better socioeconomic status (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.55-2.56) were significantly associated with a greater likelihood of being involved in NST. Compared with NST, a higher education level was associated with involvement in AST (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.77-0.98). Conclusions. By understanding the characteristics of the analyzed groups, tourism operators can better design experiences that meet the specific needs and expectations of their clientele.