The Boat Show of Excellence gets underway; small shipyards are also making a recovery

“We want the Genoa Boat Show to become, by far, the world’s number one boat show. We’re not far off at all, because above us are the boat shows in Düsseldorf and Fort Lauderdale, whilst the others are all below us. But Düsseldorf is on the decline, Fort Lauderdale is facing some difficulties, and we’re growing”. These were the words with which the president of Confindustria Nautica, Piero Formenti, kicked off the 66th edition of the event, which began yesterday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni.

The show, Formenti continued, “is a world-class event, a window through which, at this time, the world is looking at Italia. It goes beyond being merely a commercial event”. Then, speaking of the practical needs of the boating industry – at a time when manufacturers of large yachts are still recording growth, whilst those of smaller boats are struggling – he added: “We aim to turn this difficult period – particularly for the small-boat sector, characterised by a wait-and-see approach due to the uncertainty caused by geopolitical tensions – into concrete choices and decisions.”

Meloni, for her part, pointed out that the boating industry “is one of Italy’s key areas of excellence. Moreover, it is a sector which, despite the particularly challenging international climate, continues to deliver excellent results”: 8.7 billion in production value, “forming a fundamental part of our GDP, namely the maritime economy, which—I am keen to point out—has seen a 50 per cent increase in terms of the related economic activity it generates: estimated at 220 billion, based on a multiplier of 1.8’. The president of Confindustria, Emanuele Orsini, who was present at the opening, also highlighted the excellence embodied by the Genoa Boat Show. He highlighted that the event helps to “promote ‘Made in Italy’ around the world. You only need to look at the figures, even just for the yacht and superyacht sector: 580 orders for the United States, accounting for 52 per cent of turnover in the US, despite the tariffs and all the difficulties of previous years”. Orsini therefore expressed his conviction that “this is a great response from Italian industry, particularly the marine sector”.

Still on the subject of Italian excellence, yesterday also saw the signing of an agreement between Azimut Yachts and Ferrari Hypersail, the Prancing Horse’s 100-foot flying monohull project. The two companies have announced a new operational hub in Livorno, within the Azimut premises: a new base conceived as the “home of the project”. As technical partner, Azimut will develop a custom Fly 72 yacht, which will support Ferrari Hypersail in its sea trials and operational activities.

As for the small yacht sector, however, there are already positive signs as the show gets underway. “Since 2025,” explained Susanna Vitulano, head of Italia Yachts (a shipyard specialising in sailing and motor yachts ranging from 9 to 20 metres), “we have been struggling with market conditions, partly due to geopolitical uncertainty. The US market, which used to account for 40 per cent of our turnover, has now fallen to 20 per cent. However, we are beginning to see a slight improvement in terms of enquiries from dealers. We expect good results from the Genoa Boat Show and a positive sign of recovery.”