The Genoa Boat Show closes with 118.269 visitors (+13,9%) and returns to dreaming big
In 2024, the inauguration of the Waterfront Levante will allow the event to have even more outdoor spaces available both at sea and on land.
The Genoa International Boat Show closed its 63rd edition with 118.269 registered visitors as of 11:00 a.m. on September 26 (the closing day of the event), a 13,9% increase over 2022. 1.043 brands were exhibited, a 4,5% increase over 2022, with a total number of vessels well over 1.000—from 2 to 40 meters in length—143 additional berths in the water thanks to the opening of new canals, 184 new models on display and premieres (a 9,5% increase over 2022). Furthermore: 3.190 sea trials (despite the unfavorable weather and sea conditions on the first two days), 120 conferences and workshops, 1.316 accredited journalists, 2.294 articles published during the event, and over 11 hours of television coverage of the event.
"These are the numbers of a Boat Show that continues to outdo itself year after year and which, this year, exceeded our own expectations," said Saverio Cecchi, president of Confindustria Nautica and I Saloni Nautici. "I thank my team who worked tirelessly to achieve this result; I am proud to be the helmsman of this crew. Our goal is to become the number one event in the sector in the world. We are working to achieve this goal, also thanks to the close collaboration between the public and private sectors, to ensure that the new Waterfront di Levante, designed by Renzo Piano, is the first exhibition center in the world specifically designed for recreational boating. Starting tomorrow, we begin work on the next edition, scheduled for September 19-24, 2024."
Never before have many Italian industry insiders (including superyacht shipyards) expressed such hope and hope that the Genoa event will once again dominate the Cannes Yachting Festival, even in the medium-to-large boating market. The Ligurian capital will benefit, above all, from the new exhibition spaces that will emerge with the construction of the new Waterfront Levante, while Cannes, which has now saturated its available space, will soon undergo construction that could jeopardize future editions of the show.
The 63rd Genoa International Boat Show will also be remembered for the (probably unprecedented) participation and attention of government officials and institutions, with visits from Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Matteo Salvini, Minister for European Affairs, Southern Italy, Cohesion Policies and the PNRR Raffaele Fitto, Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies Nello Musumeci, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister for Public Administration Paolo Zangrillo, Minister for Business and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, Minister of Defense Guido Crosetto (connected for the inaugural conference), President of Confindustria Carlo Bonomi, and Chairman of Eni Giuseppe Zafarana.
Genoa Mayor Marco Bucci: "Walking along the docks these days, I've heard compliments on the new layout, the canals, and the Isola Blu, completely surrounded by water. Recreational boating and the Genoa Boat Show are important businesses, growing every year with significant economic and employment benefits for our city. Next year will see the inauguration of the Levante Waterfront, and this new neighborhood, along with the Boat Show, already form a synergistic system that is seizing great opportunities."
Liguria Region President Giovanni Toti said: "This year's Boat Show is a resounding success from every perspective. Industry professionals are reporting extraordinary sales success, and public appreciation has exceeded expectations. Furthermore, Genoa has embraced this event like never before, hosting dozens of events across the city that have in turn attracted thousands of people. This edition demonstrates how the Show is increasingly synonymous with Liguria and Genoa, just as sectors such as boating, shipbuilding, marinas, and many other sectors of the blue economy are synonymous with Liguria and Genoa. We are seeing the fruits of a long, collaborative effort begun some time ago, bringing together hospitality, industry, tourism, and the major urban redevelopment project at the Foce riverbank designed by Renzo Piano. Today, therefore, we close a week that perfectly epitomized the development model we want to build in Liguria."
The 63rd International Boat Show was supported by the Italian Trade Agency (ICE), which, together with Confindustria Nautica, organized the presence at the Boat Show of a delegation of international journalists and buyers from 35 countries and five continents as part of the incoming project included in the Made in Italy Promotion Plan of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The 64th edition of the Genoa International Boat Show will be held from 19 to 24 September 2024.
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