The 61st edition of the Genoa Boat Show has fulfilled the promise of its slogan: “boating is its staple, even in 2021”, also because Genoa is the only major event that didn’t stop even during pandemic.
From 16th to 21st September, Genoa has been the capital of boating, where it’s been possible to look properly at some news and to have confirmations too.
The enthusiasm for this event was palpable, even before the inauguration, that enthusiasm turned into a +30% visitors compared to the last year, almost 100,000 visitors and 15-20% more contracts signed compared to the last edition, says Saverio Cecchi (President of Confindustria).
Impressive numbers, especially considering that due to the Levante water front’s works, designed by Renzo Piano and available in 2023 but ready in 2024, the usable areas were reduced.
The anti-covid regulations (green pass or tampons at the entrance) and an excellent organization were the key for this success, a serene atmosphere that gave to visitors the opportunity too se and learn more about the latest nautical news, to talk with the insiders and finally to participate in meetings and conferences to discover the newest in this field.
The positive atmosphere of the Genoa Boat Show reflects the positive moment of the whole boat industry. Surely the sector is expanding despite the danger of a bubble effect on the boating market, insiders are sure that 70% of this growth is structural.
The boat industry held up, better than many others, to the impact of the pandemic: people approached to the pleasure boating driven by their concerns about safety (see below the link to have more information about choosing a safe boat holiday). According to many customers, to buy or to rent a boat was a choice suggested by the pandemic situation that occurred during the last year, a reaction to the quarantine, where we were stuck in our houses, a way to bring back the freedom and the touch with the nature. This could explain the increase of the numbers that the boat sector touched in the last two years.
And the nautical field got itself ready, satisfying (and in a lot of cases even anticipating) the expectations of an increasingly demanding market in terms of comfort, performance and even ecological.
The increase in numbers in the last year has made necessary to find out solutions that would mitigate the impact of the nautical sector on the environment, they felt the need to become more sustainable as possible and to do it as soon as possible.
Among the most interesting trends observed in this edition, the aim of the boat show was to focus their attention on the combination between blue and green economy: in order to reduce consumes and to be less dangerous to the environment, to use less polluting materials and to dispose an easier way to recycle those materials.
For years, the boating sector, from ports to pros and even users, has become aware of the true impact of their activities on the environment but until now the transition is taking place very slowly. Even though the international new measures aimed at protecting the environment (f.e. hybrid propulsion, the mitigation of noise pollution, the tightening on the regulations of anchorage areas to preserve seabed or the obligation for ports with an exceeding capacity of 100 berths to reserve 1% of those for electric boats).
But the pleasure boating doesn’t want to escape to the environmental awareness, on the contrary, it wants to become its promoter.
The challenge is open: to let the boat industry become environmentally friendly.
With an eye to the future, the Genoa Boat Show has ended. The next year, the event will be scheduled for September and the dates will be announced during the next weeks.
Translated by Biagio Vitolo
