The purpose of this paper is to show the importance of nautical tourism for the Croatian economy, which is reflected in the financial and other results this type of tourism has been accomplishing. In this paper, the authors analyzed the current state of nautical tourism in Croatia and pointed out the advantages and possible consequences of the construction of new marinas in Croatia. In order to determine the advantages and disadvantages of nautical tourism in Croatia in relation to the environment and the possibilities for further development, the Tomas Nautical Yachting 2012 research is presented. The contribution of this work is primarily reflected in the analysis of previous research works and in the adoption of possible measures for further development of nautical tourism in Croatia. The special aim of the paper is shown in the SWOT analysis and in the presentation of outcomes using a SWOT matrix.