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MINISTER FOR TOURISM SANTANCHÈ: “YACHTING PLAYS A DECISIVE ROLE IN STRENGTHENING TOURISM IN OUR COUNTRY”
THE GENOA INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW HOSTS THE 10th NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON NAUTICAL TOURISM
Day 5 of the 64th Genoa International Boat Show kicked off with a special guest. The Italian Minister for Tourism, Daniela Garnero Santanché, took centre stage of the conference entitled “Blue Economy and Tourism: New Frontiers for Economic and Environmental Growth”, held this morning in the Genoa Boat Show’s Blue Pavilion. Minister Santanché reminded a packed hall of listeners of a fundamental objective for Italy: to return to the centre of the world tourism scene precisely through the yachting sector, its industry, and its coastal and maritime tourism sector. The event took the form of a stimulating round table, during which in-depth speeches on the centrality of the yachting sector for the country’s economy, a sector capable of bringing together tourism and unmatched Made in Italy quality, and able to enhance the entire production chain, recognised worldwide as an international excellence.
Within this framework, the Italian Tourism Confederation Federturismo Confindustria and the Italian Marine Industry Association Confindustria Nautica held the 10th edition of the National Conference on Coastal and Maritime Tourism. A particularly important moment in which to discuss the new challenges and opportunities offered by the Blue Economy in the context of coastal and maritime tourism. The topics up for discussion were many and varied, from the Regulatory framework implementing the Italian Nautical Code to issues more closely related to marinas and disused locations, from the importance of international trade events to exports and the power of attraction that characterises Italian coasts.
the Italian Marine Industry Association’s Head of Institutional Relations, Roberto Neglia, moderated the roundtable, which kicked off with an opening address by the Italian Minister for Tourism, Daniela Garnero Santanché. The floor was then passed to Piero Formenti, Vice President of the Italian Marine Industry Association, Andrea Razeto, Vice President of the Italian Marine Industry Association, Ilaria Cavo, Vice President of the 10th Commission of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, followed by Gerolamo Cangiano, Member of the 9th Commission for Transport, Posts and Telecommunications, Augusto Sartori, Commission for Tourism Policies of the Conference of Regions, Adelaide Mondo, Bper Banca Corporate Landing Office, Marina Lalli, President of Federturismo Confindustria, and Roberto Perocchio, President of the Italian Marinas Association Assomarinas. Also speaking at the conference were Fulvio Luise of Luise Associates and Iole Pizzi from SpartiVento, representing companies operating across the sector. The conference ended with a closing address by the Genoa City Councillor for Sports Facilities and Activities, Alessandra Bianchi.
Sen. Daniela Garnero Santanché, Minister of Tourism:
“As the Minister for Tourism, I could not fail to come to the Genoa International Boat Show. This is a particularly important moment. Because trade events are of fundamental importance for Italian tourism and are essential to its seasonal adjustment. If there were no Boat Show in Genoa, tourism would be nothing like it is today. This industry is the vehicle that drives nautical tourism: in terms of average daily expenditure, nautical tourists leave about twice as much value in the same area as land-based tourists. We are talking about a segment that must absolutely be enhanced and supported. But this is a tourism that also requires intervention. The Ministry of Tourism, for example, has launched a project to install free Wi-Fi in marinas because there was no network coverage in any of them. More generally, ours is a government that is very clear about how important the blue economy is. It is no coincidence that a minister was created that is dedicated to marine policies”.
Marina Lalli, President of Federturismo Confindustria:
“I think I can say that the yachting industry – during the covid pandemic, when the entire tourism system came to a standstill – shifted gears. Since then, its importance has finally been understood. This is a sector that more than just tourism, it is an engine for the whole supply chain, especially with regards to the Made in Italy brand. Minister Santanché has given us a goal: we must reclaim our place atop the international tourism rankings. This government has not only stated this, but when it comes to yachting it has also taken real action: we have a regulatory plan. We need to make the most of our potential: tourism and Made in Italy excellence go hand in hand”.
Piero Formenti, Vice President of the Italian Marine Industry Association:
“The yachting industry is a gateway to the tourism offered further away from the coastline. Today for the first time here in Genoa we have the Board of Directors of EBI – the association that represents and promotes the yachting industry in Europe – and one of the main topics they are discussing is precisely the enhancement of Southern Europe’s coasts in order to bring tourists from all over the world and take advantage of the beauty of our coasts and boats. I renew my thanks on behalf of the Italian Marine Industry Association because this conference is fundamental for the entire Italian yachting industry”.
Andrea Razeto, President of I Saloni Nautici:
“This year at the 64th edition, riding the wave of the strong and constant growth of our industry and the entire Italian supply chain, the 10th edition of the National Conference on Coastal and Maritime Tourism is being held here at the Genoa Boat Show. Nautical tourism is a fundamental part of what this country has to offer because it represents the outlet where our customers actually use our products. Therefore, I find it only natural that the conference is held here in Genoa as part of the Show”.
Roberto Perocchio, President of Assomarinas:
“We are coming out of ten years of crisis and looking towards a bright future of positive and growing numbers. We can look towards a new port system without creating cathedrals in the desert, but by mainly using disused merchant port areas. I also want to emphasise the importance of implementing the Sea Plan and removing the IMU (Italian property tax) from marinas. In order to stimulate growth we need investments, and these must be profitable. Finally, next year the world conference on marinas will be held in Venice”.
Hon. Ilaria Cavo, Vice President of the 10th Commission of the Italian Chamber of Deputies:
“The nautical sector has asked for regulatory simplification and the regulation implementing the nautical code has given an important signal. With a focus on sustainability, we all worked on an amendment to arrive at an incentive for replacing endothermic engines with electric engines. I spoke with Minister Urso this morning and was assured that the resources, 3 million euros, will not be lost at the end of the year. Lastly, I would like to point out a very encouraging fact, namely the important contribution of businesses led by young people. Lastly, we have the draft law on the blue economy in the pipeline, which will provide further regulations for the sector”.
Hon. Gerolamo Cangiano, Member of the 9th Commission for Transport, Posts and Telecommunications:
“I am proud to follow this sector. In the bill that I have filed with the Chamber of Deputies, we try to establish a number of core principles: for example, the possibility of exempting the entire tourism sector from the Bolkestein directive. In addition, we have asked for slipways to make the use of small boats easier and more available. The bill is made up of seven articles and is based on a constant dialogue of cooperation with the government: this combination demonstrates a growing support for the yachting sector”.
Augusto Sartori, Commission for Tourism Policies of the Conference of the Regions:
“Nautical tourism is at the heart of the development policies of the Conference of Regions, which I represent here in Genoa today. For the first time, nautical tourism is seen as fundamental to making us known abroad by bringing the beauty that is Italian quality to the world. In this sense, seasonal adjustment is fundamentally important in ensuring that tourism growth in future years can be sustained. Specific projects have been launched through tourism funds”.
Fulvio Luise of Luise Group:
“This is the first time I have ever heard parliamentarians and ministers speak our language. The yachting industry is an economic opportunity for the global, European and Italian economic system. It is strongly linked to the territory. According to a study by the Ambrosetti Group on the expenditure of recreational units in the 30-50 metre range, the technical expenditure related to yachting is over 7,000 euros per day, the induced revenue generated is 2.6 times or 260 per cent of the amount. And this becomes 300 per cent for vessels over 90 metres. On the Ligurian territory alone, this amounts to +512 million euros per year. The ship’s crew also affects seasonal adjustment because they stay on our territory, perhaps even with their family members. This is a segment we have been working on for years”.
Iole Pizzi, SpartiVento:
“There was a watershed moment in the world of nautical tourism in 2020, since then nautical tourism is growing and helping us to export Made in Italy production to the rest of the world. Because in Italy we can offer not just a simple boat holiday, in our case a sailing holiday, but a true experience local excellence. The numbers also confirm the positive trend for the future”.
Adelaide Mondo, Corporate Landing Office Bper Banca:
“Talking about tourism means talking about progress in our country, where the Made in Italy brand is made up of a supply chain that has already set sail on the path of development. For years Bper has been supporting these companies that have started us on this path but need access to credit and consultancy support. Above all, today you cannot talk about nautical tourism without taking sustainability into account. Bper wants to be a partner that establishes ancillary services for sector development. We have created a series of services and combine private and public finance. In fact, non-repayable funds and subsidised financing must be combined with the right form of private finance. I remember how the first mission started by the National Recovery Plan was free tourism. Bper in this sense has supported a significant number of companies, in cooperation with Sace and the European Investment Fund. Bper is the only bank with a guarantee fund aimed at companies that want to develop paths towards sustainability. Ours is the bank of local territories. Today it is important to create a partnership with those who know the needs of a particular area, and so we are developing agreements in all territories to try to pursue a common, win-win path together”.
The FORUM24 programme on Monday 23rd September saw the return of the Tecno Marathon for its 2024 edition, organised by Amer Yachts & Simonetta Pegorari- Studio Pegorari. The event brought together the teams from Italian universities that participated with their projects in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge 2024, an international competition in which 46 teams and 40 universities took part this year.
Organised in partnership with the Italian Marine Industry Association, this fourth edition shared the innovative projects and skills developed in the field of technology, innovation and sustainability by the teams from Italian universities that took part in the Monaco-based competition. The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge 2024 is a competition battled out between prototypes focusing on sustainability and energy innovation, now reaching its 11th year since it was first established by the Yacht Club de Monaco, which has always been at the forefront in promoting innovation throughout the nautical world. Today’s event in particular highlighted the great contribution and value of research by groups of students and researchers for the development of new technologies.
After a brief introduction by Massimo Verme, designer of GerrisBoats, an expert in alternative propulsion, sustainable maritime transport, and innovative projects, groups of students from the Politecnico di Milano, the University of Messina, the Politecnico di Torino, the University of Genoa, and the University of Bologna took the stage to present their designs to the audience.
Outside the programme, engineer Maria Luisa Francia presented the fascinating start-up P2M, founded in 2023 by a group of engineers from the nautical and aerospace sectors, creators of the patented Gene.Sys system, a software for storing and tracking boat construction data. The project proposed is akin to a “digital passport” for a more conscious management of materials at the end of a boat’s life cycle.
The morning ended with the presentation of the partnership between the Genoa Municipality and Clipper Round the World Race 2025. For the occasion, the 64th edition of Genoa International Boat Show hosted Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, the famous British sailor who took 313 days between 1968 and 1969 to complete and win the first solo, non-stop round-the-world race aboard his two-masted, only 13-metre-long boat. A global sailing event, the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race sees people from all walks of life united by the same dream of adventuring out onto the sea, training to become sailors capable of tackling the world’s most difficult oceans and stretches of sea, in a 40,000-mile, (approximately 74,000 km) journey.
