News
THE EUROPEAN BOATING INDUSTRY AND ITALIAN MARINE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION JOIN FORCES TO SET THE COURSE FOR NAUTICAL TOURISM AND SUSTAINABILITY
THE BLUE ECONOMY AND A SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN WERE THE FOCUS OF A JOINT CONFERENCE HELD BY BPER BANCA, THE EMPLOYERS’ ASSOCIATION OF TURIN AND ITALIAN MARINE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
Following the success of its first edition in 2023, which laid the foundations for what would become a fruitful dialogue and cooperative relationship between yachting industry operators and institutions with a focus on sustainability and innovation, in the afternoon of Day 5 of the 64th Genoa International Boat Show, the second edition of the “European Sustainable Boating Roundtable” conference was held in the Forum Hall of the Genoa Boat Show’s iconic Blue Pavilion. Organised by the international industry federation European Boating Industry (EBI), in partnership with the Italian Marine Industry Association, the main theme of the event this year was nautical tourism.
Piero Formenti, Vice President of the Italian Marine Industry Association and Vice Chair of EBI, kicked off the event with an opening address, after which the microphone was passed to two distinguished guests: Daniel Attard, Member of the Transport and Tourism Committee (TRAN) at the European Parliament, and Sofía Gutiérrez, Deputy Director of Sustainable Development of Tourism at UN Tourism, who gave an interesting speech on the objectives that constitute the fundamental essence of UN Tourism aimed at improving the well-being of individuals, safeguarding the natural environment, stimulating economic progress and promoting the harmonisation of global action. The UN Tourism representative pointed out the importance of increasing investments in the tourism sector and how the organisation itself can function as a guide for ensuring such investments are directed towards the right type of impact for a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable tourism. Gutiérrez then highlighted the effects of climate change and emphasised how closely it is linked to the development of tourism.
Under the title “Achieving Greener Boating and Nautical Tourism by 2030”, EBI Secretary General Philip Easthill then opened the panel discussion by inviting a number of international industry representatives to the table to share their experiences from across a variety of different fields and competences. The topics discussed were sustainability within the context of tourism, resilience and the EU’s priorities over the course of the next five years. In addition to Sofía Gutiérrez from UN Tourism, speakers also included: Lee Gordon, Vice President of Global Communications at Brunswick International; Jean Paul Chapeleau, Counsellor at Bénéteau and President of the Fédération des Industries Nautiques; and Arieti Priovolou, HSE Officer at D-Marin. The dialogue gravitated towards potential solutions to accelerate the industry’s transition into a sustainable future while continuing to undergo a period of growth, and the need for full cooperation between all industry players involved.
EBI President Robert Marx closed the event with a comment related to the priorities of the 2024-2029 EU legislation and emphasised the importance of fruitful dialogues between politicians and boating industry experts. The EBI industry federation represents the boating industry throughout Europe. This includes all of the industry’s related segments, such as boat building, equipment manufacturing, marinas and service providers. The industry as a whole contributes significantly to the European economy, representing 32,000 companies, mainly SMEs, directly employing more than 280,000 workers. EBI’s mission is to promote and represent a sustainable nautical and marine tourism industry.
Following the round table, the EBI General Council was held for the first time at the Genoa International Boat Show, an important meeting in which the federation traditionally takes stock of the current international situation and plans for the following nautical year.
The afternoon ended with a conference entitled “La filiera della nautica: espressione di cultura e sostenibilità” (The yachting sector, a symbol of culture and sustainability), organised by BPER Banca, in partnership with the Employers’ Association of Turin and the Italian Marine Industry Association.
The insightful debate among the experts taking part highlighted the union between the yachting sector and the blue economy, something fundamental for the industry’s economic impact and ability to convey sustainable and cultural values. The topics tackled touched on different spheres of expertise: from more strictly credit-related issues, such as access to credit, to industry-focused matters, such as the evolution of raw materials needed for production and the innovative drive connected to research. The supply chain is made up of SMEs, an ecosystem that includes boat manufacturers, component suppliers, service providers and tour operators; the intervention of advisory bodies is therefore indispensable in order to combine the financial aspect with actual investment decisions.
The meeting saw the participation of Barbara Amerio, CEO of Amer Yachts – Permare Group and President of Imperia’s Confederation of Industries; Antonio Casu, CEO of Italdesign; Nicola Porcari, Head of Structured Finance Service at BPER Banca; Luca Rollino, CEO of Xori Group; Pietro Sacco, President of Opacmare; and Ernesto Lanzillo, Head of the Central Mediterranean area at Deloitte.
Nicola Porcari, Head of Structured Finance at BPER Banca, commented: “We support the yachting sector in all its various forms, both in support of its internationalisation, with traditional corporate transactions, and with structured finance operations. The challenges for the future lie in the need for investment in technology and sustainability. And the sector has already shown that it is paying attention to these issues. For this reason, banks must put themselves at the service of companies, particularly in the nautical sector, to find the right solutions”.
Ernesto Lanzillo, head of Deloitte’s Central Mediterranean area: “Products today require applied technology. Interacting with the banking system and investing in technological innovation are among the greatest challenges for the yachting sector. The current trend sees investments being diverted towards sustainable innovation. Operating and investing in sustainability-enabling technology is necessary, as is investing in cyber security.”
For Barbara Amerio, CEO of Amer Yachts – Permare Group and President of Imperia’s Confederation of Industries: “Sustainability, innovation, research and development are now the pillars on which the entire supply chain’s future rests. But sustainability also means attracting young people with new trades through training opportunities“.
EVENTS CALENDAR – TUESDAY 24th SEPTEMBER 2024
BLUE PAVILION
10:30 am: RENEWABLE FUELS FOR MOBILITY AND YACHTING – Organised by the Province of Genoa’s Confederation of Industry, in partnership with the Italian Marine Industry Association
Levante Hall
EBERHARD & CO. THEATRE
10:00 am: BLUE DISTRICT PRESENTATION: A CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO INNOVATIVE BUSINESSES – Organisedby the Liguria Regional Council and Genoa City Council
1:00 pm: PRESENTATION OF THE 25th EDITION OF OPERATION DELPHIS –Organised by the Battibaleno Association 2:00 pm: IZS PRESENTATION –C.Re.Di.Ma (National Reference Centre for Diagnostic Investigations of Stranded Marine Mammals) – Organised by C.Re.Di.Ma
