The Daily Sailing Tours Clients Experience Assessment—The Case of the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik”, Croatia

Abstract

This paper examines the customers’ experience assessment with the luxury daily sailing tours in the area of the Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik. For the purpose of this study, the influence of the entertainment opportunities, the educational opportunities, the aesthetics, and the escapism components on the customer’s experience is investigated, as well as the correlation between overall customer satisfaction and age groups of customers. The personal interview method was used for data collection. Tourists were interviewed on boats during the tours in the area of Dubrovnik Elaphite Islands, Croatia. The Pine and Gilmore experience model was used to define the main elements of their experience. The analytic hierarchy process model was used for the customers’ experience assessment. According to the results of this study, entertainment and aesthetics have greater influence than education and escapism on customer satisfaction in the age group up to 30 years. Entertainment and escapism have greater influence than education and aesthetics on customer satisfaction in the age group from 31 to 60. The interesting findings of this study are that education and aesthetics have a greater influence than entertainment and escapism for the elderly, e.g., for the customers in the age group older than 61. The highest overall satisfaction with the daily sailing tour was found among tourists in the age group up to 30 years, followed by tourists in the age group from 31 to 60 years, and the lowest satisfaction was shown by tourists who were older than 60 years. This study indicates that all the areas are important and that customer satisfaction with each component, e.g., with the entertainment, education, escapism, and aesthetic, varies according to the age group. This study also indicates that there is a correlation between the overall customer’s experience assessment of the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik” daily sailing tour and customer age group.

1. Introduction

Trends in Europe have pointed towards the growth of sailing tourism [1], especially in the field of yachting tourism [2], which can be divided into sailing and boating tourism [3]. Sailing tourism as part of nautical tourism includes various factors and specific types of tourists [4]. Hence, sailing tourism can be defined as a form of special interest tourism (SIT) [5] which involves sailboats with keels [6]. Sailing tourists are clearly different from mass tourists [7] (p. 103). Therefore, it is crucial to explore the satisfaction of sailing tourists in order to understand their needs and preferences and to satisfy them. There is a significant influence of positive word-of-mouth on re-purchasing decisions [8], such as positive influence of sailing experience on the customers’ quality of life in general [9].

In this study, a sample of 400 respondents was included in the research that referred to the luxury daily sailing tour “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik”, during the period from 2020 to 2022. The face-to-face interviews were conducted out on the privately owned sailing boats (12 m anchored yacht), during the summer months, with the following dynamics: 59 interviews in 2020, from the beginning of July until the end of September; 125 interviews in 2021 from the beginning of June to the end of October; and 216 interviews in 2022, from the beginning of May to the end of October. The tourists who participated in this research were divided into three main groups: 46% were 30 years old or younger; 40% were between age 31 and 60 years old; and 14% were older than 61. The tourists were asked eleven questions about their age, sailing experience, satisfaction with selected factors such as entertainment, education, escapism, and aesthetics, and the importance of entertainment, education, escapism, and aesthetics. The interviews lasted 10 min as the time on the sailing tour was limited (from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., for a half-day tour, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., for a full-day tour) because the customers do not spend the night on the boat. During the luxury sailing day tour the customers spend their time mainly on the boat and the mooring in the harbor is not important and obligatory. This type of tour (excursion) implies a short stay in the chosen destinations on the land if the customers choose to do so. They can book a private daily sailing tour or be on the sailing boat together with other customers.

This paper examines the customers’ experience assessment during the daily sailing tours in the area of the Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik. The tour route includes three islands in the vicinity of Dubrovnik, e.g., the island of Lopud, the island of Sipan, and the island of Kolocep. For the purpose of this study, the influence of the entertainment opportunities, the educational opportunities, the aesthetics, and the escapism components on the customer’s experience is investigated, as well as the correlation between overall customer satisfaction and age groups of customers. This is the very first scientific study involving the luxury sailing tour in the vicinity of Dubrovnik, and proved the influence of the entertainment, education, escapism, and aesthetic elements on customers’ experience with the luxury daily tour, such as the existence of a correlation between the overall customer experience assessment and customer age group, which provides the scientific contribution of this study. There is also a major gap of the scientific literature regarding assessments of customers’ luxury daily sailing experience. For the purpose of the research, the components of the Pine and Gilmore Experience model were used to define main elements of their experience and the sub-elements in each category. The entertainment element included various fun activities, such as music, photography, and video on the boat; the educational element included the basics of sailing and information about historical and cultural sites. The escapism element referred to something that tourists do not normally do, i.e., they could individually “escape from reality”. The aesthetic element referred to the physical properties of the sailing boat (the type/space on the sailing boat, the equipment, the itinerary landscape). A qualitative, quantitative, and multi-criteria analytic hierarchy process model daily sailing trip assessment was created to evaluate the customers’ experiences.

The commonly used sailing boats are weather-dependent and use wind energy, which is why they can be classified as an environmentally friendly means of transportation. When the wind is not strong enough, the skippers combine the sails with the engine. The customers who prefer sailing tours occupy the environmentally friendly market niche. Since they are willing to pay a premium price for the sailing experience, there are many opportunities for diversifying sailing tour products, selling additional services, and cooperating with other tourism operators, that could bring financial and non-financial benefits that are important not only for the sustainable development of the sailing tour business but also for the local community.

2. Literature Review

Nautical tourism is a specific type of tourism that is characterized by traveling by sea or river and staying in the marina and port [10]. Nautical tourism is a specific form of contemporary tourist movement and is also one of the most widespread forms of tourist recreation [11]. It represents one of the most important parts of Croatian tourism and has the greatest potential to contribute to the development of the Croatian luxury product and to give Croatia a competitive advantage [12]. Although nautical tourism contributes to the integration with other activities such as day trips, events, sports, and the like [13], unfortunately, it also contributes to pollution of the ecosystem [10] (p. 72). Destinations of nautical tourism are faced with the challenge of providing the adequate level of service quality, which involves different factors such as marina-based services, hospitality offers, natural and cultural attraction, and other facilities, [14] (p. 5), and initiating the sustainable nautical tourism destination development [14]. This type of tourism includes yachting and cruising [15]. Yacht tourism refers to the use of watercraft or boats [3] and various types of yachts. There are many different kinds of yachts depending on their use and size, such as motor yachts, sailing yachts, mega yachts, etc. The length of commercial yachts or private yachts ranges from 10 m to dozens of meters. In general, a yacht is smaller than 12 m long and has a maximum of 36 passengers, while a mega yacht refers to a sailing vessel exceeding 50 m in length [16].

Sailing tourism, as a form of nautical tourism, is a leisure activity, and the clients who book a sailing tour on a yacht are focused on passive or active participation in sailing [17]. It is a non-invasive form of tourism that does not generate noise [18]. There are different types of sailing, e.g., cruising on a sailing yacht and day-sailing. In day-sailing boat characteristics are particularly important, and the customers are mostly on sailing yachts. The specific characteristics of sailing tourists must also be considered [17]. They want to enjoy nature, freedom, and flexibility and have higher than average expenses [5]. Without an adequate understanding of sailing tourists’ satisfaction, sailing tour providers may miss the opportunity to develop suitable excursions that meet their needs. Dissatisfied tourists can be detrimental to the product positioning of sailing tours [19,20]. Service quality is closely related to customer satisfaction. Service quality is defined as “the difference between the perception of the service received and customer’s expectations” [21].

Tourist satisfaction results from a combination of various attributes of the destination and factors that have influenced their experience [22]. Mikulic et al. (2015) investigated the sailing tourism experience and defined five different factors that influence sailing experience, such as the marina supporting and core services, charter products, destination attributes, and onshore destination experience [19]. Paaske Cristensen et al. (2023) [23] investigated the sailing tourism market and the impact of marina attributes on tourist satisfaction and experience assessment based on Kano’s evaluation matrix, with a special focus on British and Danish sailing tourists. They found similarities pertaining to the importance of the weather, service attitudes of marina employees, and cleanliness of sanitary facilities. Regarding the differences, the British tourists were more concerned about personal safety, while the Danish tourists pointed out the importance of hygiene of marinas. Lee et al. (2020) [24] examined the relationship between different types of experiences and visitor satisfaction, such as their willingness to revisit the attraction. Yunhao, Yuxian, and Lei (2021) [25] found that sailing tourists are seeking diverse experiences. Testa and Sullivan (2002) [26] investigated the customer satisfaction quality of the cruise industry. The activities studied included “On-board services” and “On-board entertainment” as well. On-board service had the greatest impact on overall customer satisfaction. Formal entertainment was also ranked as an important factor in the overall experience, but not as critical as other factors. A study conducted by Hyun-Jeong and Hak-Seon (2019) [27] showed that entertainment activities do not positively influence customer satisfaction. Fu et al. (2022) [28] also found that “location” and “outdoor facilities” positively influence customers satisfaction, while “indoor facilities” and “entertainment” have a significant negative influence. Peng and Li (2021) [29] found that education has a significant influence on customer involvement and that customer involvement has a significant influence on satisfaction with service innovation. Yousesef et al. (2016) [30] identified six dimensions of customer education that would lead to higher customer satisfaction. Sun et al. (2021) [31] found that customers’ education improves customers’ positive word of mouth for a particular brand. The research findings of Triantafillidou and Petala (2016) [32] suggest that escapism has positive antecedents for tourists’ satisfaction and behavioral intentions. Molina-Gomez et al. (2021) [33] found in their research that entertainment and aesthetics have a greater impact on satisfaction and loyalty than education and escapism. The research findings of Mehmetoglu and Engen (2011) [34] show that different experience dimensions influence the overall satisfaction of visitors in different contexts. Based on Pine and Gilmore’s model, the results show that escapism has a significant influence on visitors’ overall satisfaction when it comes to events, and the importance of the educational component varies according to the situation.

3. Research Methodology and Hypotheses

For the purpose of this study, the personal interview method was used for primary data collection. Tourists were interviewed on boats during the tours in the area of Dubrovnik Elaphite Islands, Croatia. The Pine and Gilmore experience model was used to define the main elements of their experience. The analytic hierarchy process model was used for customer’s experience assessment. For the purpose of this study, the influence of the entertainment opportunities, the educational opportunities, the aesthetics, and the escapism components on the customer’s experience is investigated, as well as the correlation between overall customer satisfaction and age groups of customers.

The following scientific hypotheses have been stated:

H1. 

“The Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik” daily sailing tour clients’ experience evaluation is influenced by entertainment opportunities, educational opportunities, aesthetics, and escapism components.

H2. 

The overall customer’s experience with the “The Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik” daily sailing tour is correlated with the age of customers.

The face-to-face interviews were conducted on the private-owned sailing boats, during the summer months, with the following dynamics: 15% of interviews in 2020, 31% of interviews in 2021, and 54% of interviews in 2022. The tourists who participated in this research were divided into three main age groups. During the 10-min interviews, tourists were asked to respond to twelve questions. The first question referred to the age of the tourist. The second question referred to the customer’s sailing experience. The third question referred to the previous purchase of a luxury sailing boat daily tour. The fourth question referred to customer satisfaction with the entertainment activities. The customers were asked to answer a question related to their satisfaction with the music on the boat. The fifth question referred to their satisfaction with the possibility of photographing and creating videos, so they were asked to evaluate their satisfaction. The sixth question referred to the educational element. The customers were asked to respond to questions related to satisfaction with the information on the basics of sailing. The seventh question referred to the evaluation of the information on historical and cultural sites included in the itinerary. The eighth question referred to the escapism element. The customers were asked to answer a question related to their satisfaction with the opportunity to do something that tourists do not normally do, i.e., the opportunity to individually “escape from reality”. The ninth question referred to the evaluation of the first aesthetic element, so the customers were asked about their satisfaction with the physical properties of the sailing boat, i.e., the type/space on the sailing boat. The tenth question referred to the satisfaction with the equipment they need/can use on the boat. So, the customers evaluated their satisfaction with the boat equipment. The eleventh question referred to the itinerary landscape, so the customers evaluated their satisfaction with the chosen route. The twelfth question referred to the ranking of importance of the entertainment element, the education element, the escapism element, and the aesthetic element. The descriptive statistics were used for the data analysis.

For the purpose of this research, the theoretical background of the Pine and Gilmore brand experience model was used [35] (pp. 30–37). According to this model, experience contributes to a positive internal and external brand experience. A positive brand experience contributes to the top-of-mind position of the brand, so that people know and trust the brand. The matrix divides experience into four areas, referred to as the ‘4ES’, as follows: Entertainment, Educational, Aesthetic, Escapist. The Entertainment refers to the opportunity to participate in an action that is associated with fun. The Educational component refers to the active participation of the consumer through interactive engagement with their own mind or body. The Aesthetic component refers to the consumer’s passive immersion in the environment. The Escapist component refers to the consumer’s active participation and immersion in the environment, as shown in Figure 1.

The customers’ experience assessment is based on the application of the analytic hierarchy process and its principles. The analytical hierarchy process model was developed by T.L. Saaty (1990) [36] and analyzed and written by T.P. Harker and G.L. Vargas [37]. In the analytical hierarchy process method, factors are placed into a hierarchical structure, starting from the general objective, criteria, sub-criteria, and alternatives. First, the requirements for the system are determined, the goal to be achieved is defined, and then the alternatives that meet the requirements are selected. Then, priorities are set and finally the best alternative is selected. Which alternatives are considered depends on the objectives. The choice of hierarchical structure depends on the complexity of the problem, and includes [38]:

–

goal, criterion alternatives;

–

goal, criterion, sub-criterion, alternatives;

–

goal, scenario, criterion (sub-criteria) of alternatives;

–

goal, factors, criterion (sub-criterion), alternatives;

–

goal, …, sub-criteria, intensity series, (many alternatives);

–

goal, …, groups of alternatives, alternatives (more than a few, less than many).

For the purpose of this study, the results of the primary research were used as inputs for the analytic hierarchy process model. The basic structure of the analytic hierarchy process model (involves goal, criterion alternatives) is used (

Table 1. The analytical hierarchy process model structure for daily sailing tour experience assessment.

Goal……	>	The daily sailing tour experience assessment
criteria……	>	Entertainment facilities	Educational facilities	Escapism	Aesthetic
segments…	>	Till 30 31–60 61–	Till 30 31–60 61–	Till 30 31–60 61–	Till 30 31–60 61–

).

The following scale is used to compare criteria and alternative solutions in pairs (see

Table 2. Alternative comparison scale “Reprinted with permission Ref. [39] (p. 124). 1991, Dyer, F. R. & Forman, E”.

Verbal Assessment	Numerical Assessment
Extremely preferred	(9)
Very strong to extremely preferred	(8)
Very strongly preferred	(7)
Strongly to very strongly preferred	(6)
Strongly preferred	(5)
Moderately to strongly preferred	(4)
Moderately preferred	(3)
Equally to moderately preferred	(2)
Equally preferred	(1)

).

The mathematical basis of the model is simple. The analytical hierarchical process is based on characteristic values and characteristic vectors, i.e., on calculation of priority coefficients indicating the degree of importance of criteria and alternative solutions. It includes the possibility of comparing alternative solutions and criteria in pairs, in the form of matrix w as visible:

w =	w1/w1	w1/w2	w1/w3…	w1/wn
	w2/w1	w2/w2	w2/w3…	w2/wn
	w3/w1	w3/w2	w3/w3…	w3/wn
	wn/w1	wn/w2	wn/w3…	wn/wn

The comparison in pairs has been done for the criteria according to the market segments (as visible in

Table 3. (a) Comparison of the criterion according to the age group. (b) Comparison of the criterion according to age groups.

Criteria	Group A (Till 30)	Group B (31–60)	Group C (61-)
(a)
Criterion 1
Entertainment
Group A		2	8
Group B			5
Group C
Criterion 2
Educational facilities
Group A		3	2
Group B
Group C		3
Criterion 3
Escapism
Group A		2	2
Group B			2
Group C
Criterion 4
Aesthetics
Group A		3	4
Group B			2
Group C
The priority matrix was defined by age groups for each criterion
(b)
Entertainment
Group A	1	2	8
Group B	1/2	1	5
Group C	1/8	1/5	1
Criterion 2
Educational facilities
Group A	1	3	2
Group B	1/3	1	1/3
Group C	1/2	3	1
Criterion 3
Escapism
Group A	1	2	2
Group B	1/2	1	2
Group C	1/2	1/2	1
Criterion 4
Aesthetics
Group A	1	3	4
Group B	1/3	1	1/2
Group C	1/4	2	1

a,b) and for the criteria (as visible in

Table 4. (a) Rating of each criterion according to the Pine and Gilmore model. (b) Rating of each criterion according to the Pine and Gilmore model.

Criterion	Entertainment	Education	Escapism	Aesthetics
(a)
Entertainment		5	4	3
Education
Escapism		4		3
Aesthetics		3
(b)
Entertainment	1	5	4	3
Education	1/5	1	1/4	1/3
Escapism	1/4	4	1	3
Aesthetics	1/3	3	1/3	1

a,b). Table 3a involves a comparison of criteria according to the age groups, based on the Saaty scale.

According to Table 3b the next matrices are formulated.

	1	2	8
A1 =	1/2	1	5
	1/8	1/5	1

	1	3	2
A2 =	1/3	1	1/3
	1/2	3	1

	1	2	2
A3 =	1/2	1	2
	1/2	1/2	1

	1	3	4
A4 =	1/3	1	1/2
	1/4	2	1

The normalization of the above matrices has been done. The normalized matrix is calculated in such a way that all elements of the column are summarized and each individual element in the column is divided by the number obtained [36]:

a′k₁ = a_k1/(a₁₁ + a₂₁+ … + a_n1)

(1)

	0.61	0.63	0.57
A′1 =	0.31	0.31	0.35
	0.07	0.06	0.07

	0.55	0.43	0.60
A′1 =	0.18	0.14	0.09
	0.27	0.43	0.30

	0.50	0.57	0.40
A′3 =	0.25	0.29	0.40
	0.25	0.14	0.20

	0.63	0.50	0.72
A′4 =	0.20	0.16	0.09
	0.15	0.33	0.18

The next step is the transformation of a calculated matrix into a vector v with components (v1, v2, …, v4), which are obtained as the sum of all elements of the corresponding row divided by the number of alternatives [36].

V_k = (a’_k1 + a’_k2 + … + a’_kn)/n

(2)

Based on the previous results, the first vectors for the criterion under the alternative were calculated.

v1 =	0.60
	0.29
	0.11

The first vector shows the results of the customers’ satisfaction with entertainment activities.

v2 =	0.52
	0.15
	0.33

The second vector shows the results for educational activities.

v3 =	0.50
	0.31
	0.19

The third vector shows the results for escapism.

v4 =	0.61
	0.17
	0.22

The fourth vector shows the results for aesthetics.

The comparison in pairs has been done for the criteria.

Based on the previous tables, the normalized matrix is created.

0.57	0.38	0.72	0.40
011	007	0.04	0.04
0.14	0.30	0.18	0.40
0.18	0.23	0.05	0.13

Using the same mathematical procedure, as was done for determining the priority of alternatives, the priority of the criteria is determined, which can be denoted by k [36].

$$\mathrm{k}=\left|\begin{array}{l}{\mathrm{k}}_1\\ {\mathrm{k}}_2\\ {\mathrm{k}}_3\\ ⋮\\ \mathrm{k}\mathrm{m}\end{array}\right|$$

(3)

The vector for criterion comparison is counted as follows.

vk =	0.47
	0.08
	0.30
	0.15

Based on the matrix which represents the priority coefficients of the alternatives and the vector k that contains the priorities of the criteria, the vector of the final priority coefficients is calculated using the expression [36]:

p = k₁ · v₁ + k₂ · v₂ + k₃ v₃ + · · · k_m v_m

(4)

The values of the coefficient are between 0 and 1, and a higher value of the coefficient indicates a higher priority of the individual alternative.

Based on the results of the previous matrices, the final priority coefficient was calculated.

p =

0.56  0.26  0.18

The final priority coefficient shows the overall satisfaction in the different age groups.

4. Research Results and Discussion

4.1. Results of the Primary Research

The face-to-face interviews were conducted on the privately owned sailing boats, during the summer months, with the following dynamics: 15% of interviews in 2020, 31% of interviews in 2021, and 54% of interviews in 2022. The results are analyzed as follows. The analysis based on descriptive statistics related the data to three different groups of tourists. During the 10-min interviews, tourists were asked to respond to twelve questions concerning age, sailing experience, satisfaction with selected factors, i.e., with entertainment, education, escapism, and aesthetics, and ranking of importance of entertainment, education, escapism, and aesthetics. The descriptive statistics method-based analysis is provided in the following tables (

Table 5. The satisfaction with music (%).

Clients’ Satisfaction	Segment A	Segment B	Segment C
Extremely satisfied	59.7	18.7	-
Very satisfied	20.8	53.1	12.5
Moderately satisfied	16.3	23.15	48.2
Low level of satisfaction	3.2	5	34
Not satisfied at all	-	-	5.3
Total	100	100	100

,

Table 6. Taking pictures and videos on boats (%).

Clients’ Satisfaction	Segment A	Segment B	Segment C
Extremely satisfied	73.3	12.5	-
Very satisfied	12.6	61.25	-
Moderately satisfied	14.1	16.25	26
Low level of satisfaction	-	7.5	44.6
Not satisfied at all	2.5	2.5	3.5
Total	100	100	100

,

Table 7. Education on sailing (%).

Clients’ Satisfaction	Segment A	Segment B	Segment C
Extremely satisfied	4.8	4.3	10.7
Very satisfied	48.3	16.25	19.7
Moderately satisfied	40.4	70.15	69.99
Low level of satisfaction	3.8	9.3	-
Not satisfied at all	2.7	-	-
Total	100	100	100

,

Table 8. Education on cultural attractions (%).

Clients’ Satisfaction	Segment A	Segment B	Segment C
Extremely satisfied	5.9	3.1	3.5
Very satisfied	53.2	28.1	26.9
Moderately satisfied	37.7	56.3	60.7
Low level of satisfaction	3.2	7.5	8.9
Not satisfied at all	-	5	-
Total	100	100	100

,

Table 9. Escapism element (%).

Clients’ Satisfaction	Segment A	Segment B	Segment C
Extremely satisfied	-	1.25	-
Very satisfied	11	5	5.3
Moderately satisfied	79.3	74	73.3
Low level of satisfaction	9.7	7.5	14.3
Not satisfied at all	-	12.25	7.1
Total	100	100	100

,

Table 10. Satisfaction with the type/space on the sailing boat (%).

Clients’ Satisfaction	Segment A	Segment B	Segment C
Extremely satisfied	11.4	5.6	-
Very satisfied	57.06	53.1	34.5
Moderately satisfied	25.64	41.3	65.5
Low level of satisfaction	-	-	-
Not satisfied at all	5.9	-	-
Total	100	100	100

,

Table 11. Satisfaction with the equipment (%).

Clients’ Satisfaction	Segment A	Segment B	Segment C
Extremely satisfied	17.3	8.1	8.9
Very satisfied	60.8	49.3	35.5
Moderately satisfied	21.9	27	52.1
Low level of satisfaction	-	-	-
Not satisfied at all	-	15.6	3.5
Total	100	100	100

,

Table 12. Satisfaction with the itinerary landscape (%).

Clients’ Satisfaction	Segment A	Segment B	Segment C
Extremely satisfied	24.4	21.8	23.2
Very satisfied	48.3	45	51.7
Moderately satisfied	20.8	25.7	22
Low level of satisfaction	-	-	-
Not satisfied at all	6.5	7.5	3.1
Total	100	100	100

and

Table 13. Ranking of each area/criterion according to the Pine and Gilmore model (%).

Rank	Entertainment	Education	Escapism	Esthetics
1	61.25	26.25	-	12.50
2	13.50	12.75	25	48.75
3	25.25	37.8	36.25	0.75
4	-	23.2	38.75	38.05
Total	100	100	100	100

).

The first question referred to the age of tourists. According to the results of the research, 46% of tourists were in the age group up to 30 years (in further text Segment A); 40% of tourists were between 31 to 60 years (in further text Segment B); and 14% of tourists were older than 61 (in further text Segment C). The second question referred to the customers’ sailing experience. About 20% of tourists have active sailing experience, while 80% have none. The third question referred to the previous purchase of a luxury sailing boat daily tour. Here, 75% of tourists were on a luxury sailing boat daily tour for the first time and 25% of them participated in some kind of luxury daily tour before.

Table 5 and Table 6 analyzed the tourists’ satisfaction with entertainment services. The fourth question referred to the music on the boat and the customers were asked to respond to the question related to their satisfaction with the music on the boat. The results are shown in Table 5.

The fifth question referred to the possibilities to take photos and create videos on the boat.

The clients were asked to evaluate those activities. The results are analyzed in Table 6.

The sixth question referred to the educational element. The customers were asked to answer questions related to satisfaction with the information on the basics of sailing. The results are presented in Table 7.

The seventh question referred to the educational element, and the customers’ evaluation of the information on historical and cultural sites included in the itinerary. The results are shown in Table 8.

The eighth question referred to the escapism element. The customers were asked to answer a question related to their satisfaction with the opportunity to do something that tourists do not normally do. The results are shown in Table 9.

The ninth question referred to the evaluation of the first aesthetic element, so the customers were asked about their satisfaction with the physical properties of the sailing boat, i.e., the type/space on the sailing boat. The results of their experience assessment referring to the type and space on the sailboat are presented in Table 10.

The tenth question referred to the evaluation of the second aesthetic element, so the clients were asked about their satisfaction with the equipment as shown in Table 11.

The eleventh question referred to the evaluation of the third aesthetic element, so the clients were asked to evaluate their satisfaction with the itinerary landscape. The results are presented in Table 12.

The twelfth question referred to the importance of each criterion, so the customers were asked to rank the entertainment element, the education element, the escapism element, and the aesthetics element. The results are shown in Table 13.

The above results were used for the customers’ experience assessment based on the analytic hierarchy process model methodology.

4.2. Analytic Hierarchy Process Model Based Daily Sailing Tour Customers Experience Assessment Results

Based on the analytic hierarchy process methodology, the vectors for the criterion under the alternative which consists of the priority coefficients were calculated.

The calculated results of the priority coefficient values for the entertainment are as follows:

v1 =	0.60
	0.29
	0.11

According to the results of this study, based on the analytic hierarchy process model for the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik” daily sailing tour experience assessment, the priority coefficient for entertainment for young people up to 30 years of age is 0.60; for tourists in the age group from 31 to 60, the priority coefficient is 0.29; and for tourists in the age group from 61 years and older, the priority coefficient for entertainment is 0.11. Entertainment is found as an important factor influencing customer satisfaction, which is similar to findings provided by Testa and Sullivan [26], and the opposite to findings provided by Hyun-Jeong and Hak-Seon [27] and Fu et al. [28]. Molina-Gomez [33] found that entertainment and aesthetic have a greater impact on satisfaction than education and escapism.

The second vector shows the results for educational activities.

v2 =	0.52
	0.15
	0.33

According to the results of this study, based on the analytic hierarchy process model for the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik” daily sailing tour experience assessment, the priority coefficient for young people up to 30 years of age is 0.52; for tourists in the age group from 31 to 60, the priority coefficients is 0.15; and for tourists in the age group from 61 years and older, the priority coefficient is 0.11. According to the results of the research, it can be seen that the educational element influences customer satisfaction in all the age groups. The highest level of satisfaction was shown for the customers in the age group up to 30 years, followed by the customers between 31 and 60 years of age. The findings referring to the influence of education showed that the clients are satisfied with the educational component, although their satisfaction varies according to the age groups. The variation of the influence of educational components on overall customers’ satisfaction was also found by Mehnetoglu and Engen (2011) [34], while Peng and Lee [29] found education was a significantly important element of customers’ satisfaction.

The third vector shows the results for escapism.

v3 =	0.50
	0.31
	0.19

According to the results of this study, based on the analytic hierarchy process model for the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik” daily sailing tour experience assessment, the priority coefficient for young people up to 30 years of age is 0.50; for tourists in the age group from 31 to 60, the priority coefficients is 0.31; and for tourists in the age group from 61 years and older, the priority coefficient is 0.19. The results show that escapism has an influence on customer satisfaction in all age groups, but the highest level of influence on customers’ experience satisfaction with escapism is in the age group up to 30 years of age. Triantafillidou and Petala [32] also found that escapism has a positive influence on customer satisfaction.

The fourth vector shows the results for aesthetics.

v4 =	0.61
	0.17
	0.22

According to the results of this study, based on the analytic hierarchy process model for the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik” daily sailing tour experience assessment, the priority coefficient for young people up to 30 years of age is 0.61; for tourists in the age group from 31 to 60, the priority coefficients is 0.17; and for tourists in the age group from 61 years and older, the priority coefficient is 0.22. The priority coefficient values show that aesthetic influences the customers’ experience during the sailing tour, and that the highest level of satisfaction is shown by the young people up to 30 years of age. Molina-Gomez [33] found that aesthetics with entertainment have a greater impact on satisfaction than education and escapism. According to the results of this study, entertainment and aesthetics have a greater influence on customer satisfaction in the age group up to 30 years, but entertainment and escapism have the greatest influence on customer satisfaction in the age group from 31 to 60. The interesting findings of this study is that education and aesthetics have greater influence than entertainment and escapism for the elderly, e.g., for the customers in the age group older than 61.

The final priority coefficient values showing the overall satisfaction in the different age groups are as follows:

p =	0.56 0.26 0.18

According to the results of this study, based on the analytic hierarchy process model for the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik” daily sailing tour experience assessment, the final priority coefficients, showing the overall customer experience evaluation, are as follows: for young people up to 30 years of age, the priority coefficient is 0.56; for tourists in the age group from 31 to 60, the priority coefficient is 0.26; and for tourists in the age group from 61 years and older, the priority coefficient is 0.18. The findings indicate that the most satisfied group with the daily sailing tour “Dubrovnik Elaphite Islands” are the customers in the age group up to 30, followed by the customers in the age group from 31 to 60. The lowest level of satisfaction was shown by the clients older than 61.

5. Conclusions

5.1. The Theoretical Implications of the Study

The analytic hierarchy process priority coefficients show that the tourists in the age group up to 30 years of age show a higher level of satisfaction with the entertainment and aesthetics, compared with their satisfaction with the education and escapism. Entertainment and escapism have greater influence than education and aesthetics on customer satisfaction in the age group from 31 to 60. The interesting findings of this study are that education and aesthetics have a greater influence than entertainment and escapism for the elderly, e.g., for the customers in the age group older than 61.

The priority coefficients indicate that the customers in the age group of 61 years and older show the lowest satisfaction with the entertainment. The customers in the age group of 61 years and older show lower satisfaction with escapism compared with the customers in the age group of 31 to 60 and young customers in the age group up to 30. The customers in the age group of 61 and older are more satisfied with the education component than customers in the age group of 31 to 60.

The analytic hierarchy process priority coefficients show that all the areas influencing customer satisfaction are important, and that customer satisfaction with each component, e.g., with the entertainment, education, escapism, and aesthetics, varies according to the age group.

The results for the final prioritization coefficients according to the analytic hierarchy process model for the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik”sailing daily tour experience assessment are as follows: 0.56 for tourists up to 30 years of age; 0.26 for tourists in the age group of 31 until 60 years; and 0.18 for tourists in the age group of 60 years and older. Tourists in the age group up to 30 years showed the highest overall satisfaction with the daily tours, followed by tourists in the age group from 31 to 60 years, while the lowest satisfaction was among tourists over 60 years. According to the final prioritization coefficients, it is clear that there is a correlation between age groups and overall customer satisfaction with the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik” daily sailing tour. This is the very first scientific study of customer experiences assessment with the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik” half- and full-day sailing tour, which indicates the need for further scientific studies and analyses. Besides age, other variables such as gender could also be interesting [40]. The weather (along with wind and waves) is an important factor influencing the customers’ satisfaction with sailing [41], so it could be the subject for further scientific studies, such as the analysis of families with children. The inclusion of other types of sailing boats (especially luxury sailing cruisers) based on the same or new structures of the analytic hierarchy process model [42,43], such as the involvement of Mehrabian Rusell’s behavioral stimulus response model, [44] which enables measuring emotional responses, is interesting for further research.

5.2. The Practical Implications of the Study

The research results show that only 20% of tourists have active sailing experience, whereas 80% have none. Moreover, 75% of tourists are participating in a daily sailing boat tour for the first time, and 25% of them participated in a daily sailing tour before. These two facts should be taken into account in the further design of sailing tours. The scientific findings of this study show that different daily sailing tours should be created and offered to clients. The daily sailing tour is a luxury product, so the providers of the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik” half- and full-day tours have to be customer-oriented rather than product-oriented, which is currently not the case in Dubrovnik. When designing the “Elaphite Islands of Dubrovnik”, the providers of the daily sailing tour (who are mostly the owners of the yachts) should consider different combinations of entertainment activities, education elements, such as escapism and aesthetic elements, taking into account that different age groups have different priorities in terms of entertainment, educational components, escapism, and aesthetics. The professional animation of customers and creation of special types of daily sailing guided tours, as well as the introduction of innovations based on modern technology (such as the use of virtual and augmented reality technologies) should be considered when designing tours. For instance, the use of augmented reality head-mounted displays could enhance the experience of the older visitors, especially in the area of entertainment and escapism.

5.3. The Limitations of the Research

The limited number of 400 tourists can be considered as a main limitation of this study. Involvement of only one variable, e.g., clients’ age, can also be considered as a limitation of this study. The customers’ experiences were evaluated only on 12-m sailing boats, so other types of sailing boats were excluded, which is also a limitation of this study.