The Palma International Boat Show has begun in Palma de Majorca, Spain. A growing event which, for the first time in its history had over 300 exhibitors thanks to a new exhibition space located at Club de Mar. This year, 304 companies are showcasing their latest in vessels, boating equipment and services.

On the opening day of the event, organised by Agència de Desenvolupament Regional Balears (ADRBalears) part of the Ministry of Business, Work and Energy and by BYBA (Balearic Yacht Brokers Association), were present Alejandro Sáenz de San Pedro, council member for Business, Work and Energy for the Balearic Islands, Javier Sanz, president of the Port Authority for the Balearic Islands, Alfons Gómez, general director of Industry and industrial hubs, Guillermo García, president of the Balearic Marine Cluster, José Luis Arrom, director of Club de Mar, and Silvia Delgado, director of ADRBalears.

The Superyacht New Build Hub

The biggest novelty for this iteration is the “Superyacht New Build Hub”, a new exhibition space at the Club de Mar dedicated to large one-off vessels build by shipyards, meaning custom vessels, not series. In this first year, the area will be showcasing a dozen sailing yachts over 40 metres. There is also a ground exhibition, with 11 exhibitors including shipyards, service and supply agencies specifically for this type of large yacht (refitting, naval engineering, design, etc).

Councillor Sáenz de San Pedro assured that “this expansion will transform the show into a worldwide point of reference, because it will be host to the largest exhibition in the world of long distance sailing yachts.” In addition, he noted that the size is in response to “industry demand, which will now have the opportunity to come into contact with new shipyards and offer them their facilities and services.”

The two exhibition areas, El Moll Vell and Club de Mar are connected by sea through ferries who will run a five minute circuit. Visitors to the Palma International Boat Show can access both areas with the same ticket, making their visit even more interesting and fulfilling.

600 vessels on display

In addition to the new area, the Spanish show has its traditional space at El Moll Vell, with world presentations of vessels and products. The Palma International Boat Show, the event that inaugurates the boating season, has around 250 vessels in the water, to which are added the ones on land, for a total of around 600 vessels. The boat show includes the Palma Superyacht Village, an area dedicated specifically to yachts over 24 metres, available for sail or charter.

An economic impact of over 20 million euros.

On 29 and 30 April, alongside the show, the second edition of the “Balearic Superyacht Forum” was held, and international forum for large yachts in the Balearic Islands. The event saw the participation of around 300 professionals, experts and enthusiasts of the industry to discuss the main topics that will influence the future of yachting, a strategic sector for the economy of the Balearic Islands. According to data provided by the Balearic Marine Cluster, this compartment includes 879 active businesses working exclusively for pleasure boating, with an overall turnover of 1,106 million euros and 5,145 jobs.

Lastly, the previous edition of the Palma International Boat Show had an economic impact of 20.1 million euros, according to a study by the Administrative Office for Economy and Statistics. The report highlights how the event favours seasonal adjustments to tourism and increases the number of national and international visitors, with positive effects on hotels, restaurants, transportation and sales.

Victoria Calderon