Territories

Sardinia boat show kicks off: the sector is worth 600 million

From 7 to 10 May, 150 exhibitors are expected in Porto Rotondo. Objective: transforming tourist attractiveness into industrial opportunity

by Davide Madeddu

7 May 2026

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

Export at 45 million
From tourism to industry
Skills Training

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

From companies to shipyards, ending with super and giga yachts and one objective: to strengthen the growing supply chain, which is now worth more than 600 million euro. These are the strong points of the Nautical Fair of Sardinia, for four days (from today 7th to 10th) scheduled in Porto Rotondo. An initiative now in its fifth edition, where 200 boats and 150 exhibitors will be counted. An event, promoted by the Region of Sardinia and organised by Cipnes (the consortium for the development of businesses in Gallura) dedicated to pleasure boaters and crews of large yachts as well as professionals in the sector.

For those in the industry, this is an 'unmissable' event, also in light of the numbers recorded in north-east Sardinia. Between last June and September, the presence of 3,114 unique superyachts (over 24 metres) was recorded, with a growth of 15.8% compared to the same period in 2024.

Export at 45 million

"The Sardinian Nautical Fair is not just an exhibition showcase: it is the fair of the Sardinian nautical industry, of Sardinian companies, shipyards, productions, and skills that are made in Sardinia and that present themselves in a structured way to foreign markets," emphasises Livio Fideli, president of Cipnes. "In 2025 Sardinian nautical companies sold boats and Ribs abroad for about 45 million Euros: a figure that confirms the production quality of our supply chain and its potential for international growth. Data processed by the CIPNES Study Centre speak of growth in exports. In the first nine months of 2025, a growth of 80.8% was recorded.

From tourism to industry

"The plan for the internationalisation of the Sardinian nautical industry, financed by the Region of Sardinia, was created precisely with this objective in mind," argues the Consortium's president, "to support the export of regional companies and attract new foreign investment to the island. There is also another element that is emphasised: "Sardinia is already a great Mediterranean destination for pleasure boating and superyachts," continues Fideli. "The challenge today is to transform this tourist centrality into stable industrial development, strengthening production, refits, technical services, innovation and skilled employment.

For Aldo Carta, president of UniOlbia and director general of Cipnes, "the nautical industry internationalisation plan has a strategic value for the entire region because it stems from a path of broad and shared institutional agreements. It is not an isolated initiative, but a territorial industrial policy that brings together the Region, companies, the research system and university training'.

Thirty years of work have led to the involvement of the Gallura production fabric. "I have seen the nautical companies grow, become structured and progressively strengthen their production, technical and commercial capacity," he adds. "Today, many of these companies are ready to compete on the international markets, but in order to make a further quality leap they need a decisive resource: human capital.

It is no coincidence that in Olbia, 'thanks to the Universities of Cagliari and Sassari, and with the support of UniOlbia, university courses have been launched that are consistent with the area's production needs'. Starting with the three-year course in naval engineering at the University of Cagliari, 'which is registering enrolments not only from the rest of Sardinia but also from the rest of Italia', and continuing with the master's course 'also at the University of Cagliari, developed in collaboration with the Federico II University of Naples'.

Skills Training

'The competitiveness of an industrial supply chain does not depend only on investments, infrastructure or promotion on foreign markets, but also on skills,' argues Carta: specialised technicians, engineers, designers, managerial figures, young professionals capable of accompanying the innovation of production processes and the technological evolution of the sector. A sector that, as Emanuele Cani, Regional Councillor for Industry, emphasises, 'is destined to grow'. "The objective of the Fair is to implement the supply chain that is now worth more than 600 million euro,' he says. The Region's intention is to strengthen it by involving local companies. The first initiative is the infrastructure of the venues, then incentivisation with the support of financial activities and the promotion of companies in the international arena'.