The Balearic Islands: perfect destination for the sailors

The rent for boats during the nautical season of 2023 (January-August), in the medium and high range segments from 8 meters in length, has maintained a stable volume of business compared to the same period last year. This is the main conclusion drawn by the Report on yacht charter in Spain for the 2023 season, prepared by the international agency GlobeSailor, which specializes in the chartering of boats and customized cruises, according to its activity.

“Although the numbers of reservations between Spanish origin clients has decreased in the segment in which we operate, the average spend per customer and the increase in rentals by foreign yachting tourists who have sailed in Spain this summer, has allowed us to maintain activity this season at 2022 levels," explains Olivier Albahary, CEO of GlobeSailor.

Between the new tendencies that the report shows, it must be remembered that the increase of the early reservations, out of the high season (July and August). This change of habit has been mainly motivated by the increase in prices, both of the rentals themselves and of the transport used by customers to the base ports where the rented vessel is located.

The destination of the Balearic Islands has concentrated 77% of the rent of boats of medium and longer length by the Spanish this season and 87% among the foreigners. It has also been the destination with the highest growth, with 8.5% more operations for sailing in the Balearic Islands between January and August this year compared to the same period in 2022. In the archipelago as a whole, Mallorca accounts for 80% of the bookings.

One more season that increases the number of foreign sailors, the majority being European, that rent boats from Spain to sail in our coastlines. The residents of France are the ones that sail the most in Spain under the rental formula, with 35% of the reservations of the 2023 season. Germany is the second country of foreign tourist senders that rent boats in Spain, followed by Italy, Great Britain and Poland.

The clients of Spanish origin that rent boats of medium to large length represent 16% of the reservations. By province, the residents of Barcelona have been the ones that rented boats to sail at our coasts this season (16%), followed by the residents of Madrid (14%).

According to the type of boat, the 2023 season, the rent of catamarans with an increase of 11,5% continue their tendencies of rising and are who have grown in comparison to the reports in 2022, have concentrated 40% of the reservations. Nevertheless, sailboats remain as the most requested boats to navigate in charter for weeks, reaching nearly 56% of this year.

In the reservations of boats over 12 meter long, mainly catamarans, the rentals with skipper have reached 13% of the reservations among the Spanish and increase even more among the foreigners, whose reservations of boats with skipper have increased over 20% within respect of last year.