sailing holidays in the south are worth nearly £28m to the region's economy, according to a new survey.

Figures from the strategic tourism body Tourism South East show that the Hampshire, Sussex and Kent coastline and maritime heritage "ranks among the region's greatest tourism assets", providing a key source of income for local businesses.

The study was taken from a questionnaire survey among 1,500 visiting boats and interviews with marina managers and harbour masters.

It is the first-ever regional study into the volume, value and 'visitor experience' of sailing holidays in the region.

Feedback showed that 671,000 yachties visited the region's marinas and harbours last year and boosted economic benefits to visitor towns by significant amounts.

Sailing regattas such as Cowes Week have repeatedly proved to be a major money-spinner.

Dr Parves Khan, TSE's head of research, said: "Yachtspersons are in general high spenders. Overall, average expenditure per visiting party per visit was £293.48 and overseas visitors spent an average of £397.09 - £185.29 per party per visit more than the Brits.

"In addition to revenue raised from marine-related expenditure such as mooring and berthing fees, fuel and repairs, significant amounts are also spent on dining, shopping and entertainment which benefits non-marine business onshore and in wider town areas."

The south-east region offers nearly 100 different marinas or harbours, providing nearly 31,000 mooring spaces.

Thanks to revenue generated by visiting yachts, nearly 700 full time jobs have been created in south coast marinas and harbours and at maritime suppliers.

According to other figures, 10,100 people work in the marine sector in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, compared with 17,500 in the south-east.

Furthermore, the UK Leisure Marine Industry Bulletin for last year estimated that the marine sector in the south-east was worth an overall £665m.Dr Khan said:"Most boats visiting the region are privately owned yachts with an average size of 33.9ft. Over 80 per cent of visiting parties carried UK residents and the remaining 17 per cent came from Holland, Germany, Belgium and France."

On average, visiting parties contained three people and half were families, groups of friends or couples. Average age of visiting parties was between 45-54 years of age and more than 70 per cent admitted to having sailed into the region before.

Bob Collier, TSE managing director, said: "TSE want to work more closely with partner agencies to encourage and guide improvements to berthing in the region, support facilities to improve visitor satisfaction and encourage more yachting visits.

"We will work more closely with national bodies representing yacht owners and marinas to form a new group dedicated to creating joint marketing ventures. We also want to encourage local authorities to stimulate expenditure among yacht crews by raising awareness of local goods and services available."