Genoa Boat Show: "We're close to breaking a record number of attendees."

At the Genoa Boat Show, "on the third day of operation, we're seeing growth, as we hoped; we're already exceeding last year's attendance figures. If the weather helps, we'll likely surpass them by a landslide." This was emphasized by Piero Formenti, president of Confindustria Nautica, who, last Thursday at the show's opening, expressed his hope that the 65th edition of the event would exceed 120,000 visitors in 2024. Meanwhile, Assomarinas announces that turnover in Italian marinas is growing, and an increase is expected in 2026 as well.

"What I'm seeing at the show," Formenti added, "is the exhibitors' satisfaction, especially in the tech trade, which was struggling a bit because the shipyards were busy with their stands. But now the buyers from the shipyards have started arriving to meet with Italian accessory and component manufacturers, who are the best in the world, and to begin discussions and negotiations regarding the shipyards' needs for next season."

Regarding the results of the marinas, which will be officially presented on Monday, September 22nd at the show, Roberto Perocchio, president of Assomarinas (the Confindustria association that represents them), notes the fifth year of positive market performance. "The continued growth in marina turnover in 2025," he stated, "was primarily supported by the strong performance of the used market, with hundreds of boats that, after refitting or re-engineering, have returned to occupy spaces in marinas. But the steady growth in the fleets of boats and vessels intended for nautical rental and charter also played a role, as did the growth in the international fleet of superyachts, which operate long-range voyages and have increased their visits to the Italian coast."

The numbers, collected from Assomarinas members, speak clearly: in 2025, permanent moorings grew by 2.3% and transit moorings by 3.5%. Forecasts for 2026 point to a 2.4% increase for permanent moorings and a 3.5% increase for transit moorings. All other indicators are also positive, both this year and next (i.e., storage, up 2% and 3.8% in 2026; boat maintenance, up 2.6% and 3%; fuel sales, up 2.2% and 2.3%; ancillary services, up 3% and 2.2%; equipment sales, up 2.5% and 2.3%; and berth sales, up 1% and 1%).

"All marina revenue streams," Perocchio said, "showed good growth, with the exception of long-term berth sales, which are struggling to return to the levels of the early 2000s. Operators' forecasts for 2026 also show confidence in the continued general growth trend in demand and revenue."