| Summary: | Marine tourism is one of the fastest growing types of tourism worldwide, yet, relatively little is known about individuals who participate in marine tourism activities. It is critically important for marine tourism businesses to know who their customers are as this information will enable them to design a suitable marketing program which appeals to their market segment. Marine tourism businesses will therefore have to develop a profile of their market segment in order to establish who their customers are. The primary objective of this study was to establish a profile for tourists who participated in shark-diving, whale-watching and visits to marine protected areas (MPAs) in South Africa. A further objective was to compare the profiles of the tourists who participated in the selected activities in order to identify differences or similarities between these groups. The selected activities all form part of the leisure category of marine tourism activities. Knowledge of the differences or similarities in the profiles of these groups can help marine tourism businesses decide whether the same marketing program can be directed at all three groups. This knowledge can also be used in directing the identification and development of suitable marketing strategies for attracting and penetration of the market. A descriptive design and quantitative approach was followed and the survey responses of 444 respondents were analysed through frequency distribution and multivariate analysis of variance. Statistically significant differences were found in gender, age, level of education and nationality among participants in the various activities.
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