News
Twenty days have passed since the 59th Genoa International Boat Show came to an end and now the world-class event’s organisers, UCINA – Italy’s Marine Industry Association – and I Saloni Nautici, have expressed their satisfaction with this year’s record-breaking edition, achieving excellent results in terms of visitors and business.
The show was sold out from the get-go, with 986 exhibitors from 28 different countries and a staggering 188,404 visitors, a key figure that marks an 8% increase compared to the already record-breaking edition of 2018, and 5,622 sea trials (last year reached 4,780) confirming both the number of visitors and their interest in what the show had to offer. 150 members of the international press and industry operators also took part in the invitational tour organised by the Italian Trade Agency in partnership with UCINA, the participants of which came from 25 countries.
Media coverage was also a key tool for promoting Genoa as the Capital of Yachting, along with the region and industry as a whole: 2,718 articles since 5th September, 11 hours of radio and TV footage broadcast by RAI, Mediaset, Sky, Primocanale and, on the radio, by Radio RAI, Radio24, Radio Deejay, Radio Montecarlo, Radio Babboleo.
And the marketing campaign will continue long after the Genoa Boat Show dates with the launch in October of the global marketing programme for the Genoa International Boat Show and for the city of Genoa scheduled to take place at the world’s leading Boat Shows:: the Ibex Show in Tampa (Florida), the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show, METS Trade in Amsterdam, in 2019. While in 2020, Boot in Düsseldorf, the Dubai Boat Show, the Singapore Yacht show, ending with the 60th edition of the Genoa International Boat Show, which will be taking place from 17th to 22nd September.
On 12th October, the 60th Genoa International Boat Show was also promoted in New York during Columbus Day where the event organisers travelled to the Big Apple alongside representatives from the Municipality of Genoa and the Liguria Region.
“Over the years, the Genoa International Boat Show has demonstrated how it is able to interpret the values at the heart of the recreational boating sector and grow alongside it. This edition’s numbers mirror a healthy industry that has been showing double-digit growth for four years running” – stated Saverio Cecchi, President of UCINA.
As for business, Carla Demaria, President of I Saloni Nautici underlined that: “Not only were visitor numbers impressive, exhibitor satisfaction was also significant. We saw a greater sense of certainty this year and a large number of contracts were signed, in the future we will need to provide larger display areas. This is where the Boat Show’s true value lies“.
Value that has also brought about an important return in economic terms as well: the revenue produced by the Genoa International Boat Show for the local area and for the city of Genoa, along with the entire Liguria region, is over 60 million euros.
An unmatched marketing tool for the territory, which, for this year’s 59th edition, saw the signing of a 10-year protocol between organisers UCINA – Italy’s Marine Industry Association – and civil institutions, an agreement that will allow the Boat Show to receive further investment and support, as a primary source of business development.
Very impressive figures with regards to arrivals at Genoa Airport which was the main arrival point for thousands of visitors to the Genoa Boat Show. International flights were particularly impressive: between 18th and 25th September, passengers on such flight paths increased by 15% compared to the dates of the 2018 edition of the Boat Show.
“This trend is confirmation of what Genoa Airport’s air traffic situation has been throughout 2019, which has seen the Russian market, in particular, really take off, thanks to the new low-cost Podeba route, along with the Dutch market, thanks to the doubling of the KLM connections to and from Amsterdam, and the Spanish and Ukrainian markets (specifically because of the new Genoa-Kiev flight with Ernest Airlines) – commented Paolo Odone, President of Genoa Airport -. Genoa Boat Show visitors were welcomed by our renovated arrivals area, branded with the colours and sensations of Liguria thanks to a joint project managed by Liguria Digitale, the Liguria Region and Genoa Airport. Something travellers particularly appreciated on their journey home was the Genova Lounge and its services, which since August this year offers passengers local dishes, wines and drinks”.
Important numbers also were recorded for the hospitality sector, yet another area of unmatched success due to the Boat Show, with hotels being fully booked from 18th to 24th September, paired with an incredible 45 events organised throughout the city as part of the GenovaInBlu programme.
Focusing on industry figures, global revenue in 2018 was 4.27 billion euros, with a 10.3% increase on 2017. The Italian recreational boating sector has confirmed a significant and consolidated recovery: starting from the low point of 2013, revenue has grown by 75%, a performance that remains unmatched by any other industrial sector in Italy.
