Yacht charters, Italia in second place in Europe with 39% of bookings

Eighty-seven superyachts ranging in size from 30 to 87 metres and around a hundred exhibitors. These are the numbers of the Myba Charter Show 2026, which officially kicked off in San Remo, on the quays of Portosole. It is one of the most prestigious international appointments dedicated to high-end nautical chartering that, until 30 April, will bring together on the Flower Riviera the main global operators of the sector. The event is reserved to operators in the sector and is organised by Myba, The World Yachting Association, and Portosole Sanremo for the second consecutive year (the event was also held in Genoa in the past and then, for a long time, in Spain), exactly where the first edition was held 35 years ago.

According to data on the high-end charter market presented by Raphael Sauleau, President of Myba, Italia, with 39% of bookings in the Western Mediterranean area, ranks second, after France, which can count on 46% of bookings. It is followed, at a distance, by Spain and Malta with a shared share of 15%. The Italia market, moreover, records an overall growth of 4% in two years, marking a recovery in 2025, after a slight slowdown in 2024, confirming a resilient but not explosive demand.

Approximately two thirds of bookings, Sauleau said, are for yachts between 20 and 40 metres, while the upper segments (40-60 metres) remain stable and well-distributed, indicating a strong demand in the market that can be defined as upper luxury accessible and less concentration on ultraluxury compared to other markets. Italia, despite following, at a short distance, the market leader, does not represent a privileged starting point, despite being, by its nature, a popular tourist destination. The real room for growth, therefore, it emerged at Myba, should be sought not so much in demand, but in the optimisation of services, including crew training.

Portosole Sanremo is under concession to the Reuben Brothers group, of the brothers David and Simon Reuben, who have carried out a project to redevelop the sea front of the city of Sanremo, in view of its privileged position as a link between Italia and the Cote d'Azur. The port, inaugurated in 1978, today extends over 1,025 square metres of quays, 167,500 square metres of water and 2,740 metres of jetties. It has 776 berths, capable of accommodating yachts of up to 90 metres in length.