YACHT & CRUISE
BUSINESS AT SEA
Overview
Signs of confidence in the nautical industry The pandemic has slowed nautical tourism but not the surge in pleasure craft builds, a sector that in Italy performed well in 2020 and enjoys favourable prospects for 2021. The value of Made in Italy production is clear in the superyacht market
NUMBER OF PLEASURE CRAFTS OVER 24 METRES CURRENTLY ON ORDER THROUGHOUT THE WORLD (407 OUT OF 821)
49,6% | Italy 51,4% | Other countries
ITALIAN FACILITIES DEDICATED TO PLEASURE SAILING
59% | Multifunctional ports 30% | Mooring points 11% | Marinas 192 | IFDM
Portonovi, Montenegro
A
survey among member companies of Confindustria Nautica has shown that 44% of pleasure yacht builders predict that final results for 2020 will reflect growth, while 41% expect a slowdown. The predictions from producers of accessories and engines are little less optimistic, with only 23% expressing confidence in a positive result. Overall, while awaiting definitive data on the accounts for 2020, the companies’ responses suggest that the close of year figures for 2020 will resemble the results achieved in 2019, when total turnover stood at around 4.8 billion dollars. It’s clear the sector has held its own. It’s a different story for nautical tourism, which has been badly hit by restrictions on international movement. In the ports and services industry 57% of those interviewed reported a drop in turnover, 82% in the nautical charter sector. Two companies out of three experienced a decrease of over 20%. The companies in the survey showed greater confidence in the results for 2021. More than two in three pleasure builders expect to see growth. Suppliers of accessories and engines seem less sanguine, with 41% believing in a recovery and 49% predicting no change. Italian leadership in the superyacht market is once again clear. According to the Global Order Book, almost half the number of pleasure craft over 24 metres in length currently on order throughout the world (407 out of 821, in other words 49.6%) are being built in Italy. Italy, in fact, is enjoying its best year in this sector since 2009. Turkey, the runner-up in order numbers, lags well behind at 76. Italy also holds a commanding lead in terms of tonnage, measured in gross tonnage (GT), with 145,691 GT, ahead of Germany (101,547 GT). In terms of hospitality, Italian facilities can be divided into three areas, tourist ports or marinas dedicated exclusively to pleasure sailing, multifunctional ports and mooring points. Multifunctional ports are the largest sector with 458 ports, 59% of the total, followed by 236 mooring points (30%) and 85 marinas (11%).
