Nautical sector resumes growth course

Social changes and the search for alternatives to traditional tourism have been a good spur for the nautical sector, one of the few economic activities that have been able to take advantage of the irruption of the coronavirus pandemic. With this favorable tailwind, the nautical industry is experiencing one of its sweetest moments, with an increase in the demand for boats and moorings in marinas across Spain.

A not insignificant context for the return of the Barcelona International Boat Show, which will be held from October 12 to 17 in the city's Port Vell, facing the sea, after last year's cancellation. The crisis has not only not harmed the sector, but it has emerged strengthened, and hence the objective of this edition, with the slogan The sea awaits you: to ensure that this growing demand solidifies and is not merely a fleeting bubble.

For the president of the show, Luis Conde, "it is time to boost a sector with great opportunities for the city of Barcelona and for the entire country, to support it on its path towards sustainable navigation that respects the marine environment."

This maxim is embraced by the 184 exhibitors who will gather at the event, which also features 500 boats, 178 of them in the floating exhibition. For Fira de Barcelona, which organizes the event in collaboration with the National Association of Nautical Companies (ANEN), it will be the second in-person show with public and professional access after the year and a half hiatus due to covid-19 and after the success of Automobile Barcelona.

The Boat Show will be the forum where brands will present nearly a hundred new products in all types of boats, engines, navigators, and accessories in which technological development, new materials, and new energy sources, such as electric, will mark the future of the sector. Therefore, the exhibition will feature everything from electric boats to buoys that collect plastics or companies that manufacture nautical-related products from recycled marine waste.

Furthermore, the event will dedicate the third edition of the Nautic Tech International Forum, organized with Seed&Click, to the promotion of the most disruptive startups in a session that will take place on the 14th with the presence of the European Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius.

Space for entrepreneurs

Among the most entrepreneurial initiatives that can be followed during the event are the startup Foilchemy, which has developed software for the control of hydrofoils; Jelurida, a company that has created a model for managing boat moorings through the use of tokens; Kanarasport, which has launched an app for the gamification of nautical sports sessions; Sinay, a digital data analysis platform for shipping companies or ports using artificial intelligence, and Nautic Proteus, an unmanned vessel directed by remote control for rescuing people at sea.

Technological development, new materials, and new energy sources mark the future of the sector

A sign of social and tourism changes, demand has grown more, comparatively with 2019, in smaller boats, up to eight meters in length, with an increase of 11%. This segment accounts for 87% of the total nautical demand in Spain.

According to data from the National Association of Nautical Companies (ANEN), sailboat registrations (7.7% of the nautical market) continue to grow above average (39.2%). For its part, the rental market grew by 22.6% until September of this year compared to the same period in 2019, with 1,854 registrations of recreational boats intended for charter, which represent 29.6% of the total registrations of recreational boats recorded in Spain.