A quick search on Google for 'Croatia gulet experts' will provide you with a lengthy list of so called Croatia gulet experts. What does really mean to be ‘a 'local expert'? Going back to my post-graduate degree in Tourism Management at the University of Westminster, the niche operators or experts emerged as the competitors to mass tour operators. The tourism industry was predominately owned by mass tourism operators who had the biggest market share. Their dominance was largely due their bargaining position and economy of scale - by having access to millions of customers they could secure the best deals and capacity. The small travel companies struggled. Then a few small travel companies examined the tour operator’s dynamics and assessed their weaknesses. The result was a niche or expert concept. The original idea was to either specialise in a specific tourism product i.e. gulet holidays or a specific destination i.e. Croatia. From the academic point of view, a local destination expert would be someone who was born in the area, speaks the local language, understand the local customs and culture, has an extensive knowledge of the area. A tourism product expert i.e. gulet or yacht charter specialist would be someone who is qualified and has an extensive experience and knowledge of the product he or she sells i.e. a qualified skipper with over 10,000 nautical miles under his belt. So the next time when you come across ‘Croatia gulet expert’ ask him or her – how many nautical miles do you have in your skipper’s log book cruising on board yachts and gulets in the Adriatic?