The Balearic marine industry will expose its potential in The Balearic Superyacht Forum

The Balearic Marine Cluster has presented to the Balearic marine industry its most ambitious proposal: The Balearic Superyacht Forum. The first international forum for the yachting sector that will bring together regional and international experts and a select list of VIP guests to discuss the main issues that will determine the future of the marine industry.

More than a hundred industry professionals and thirty Balearic authorities attended the presentation of this innovative initiative, which, as indicated by Toni Salom, president of the Balearic Marine Cluster, will be of great relevance to the Balearic marine business.

The Balearic Superyacht Forum was created with the aim of strengthening the competitive position of our islands and its nautical business network, presenting the Balearic Islands as the most complete region for the yachting sector in all areas: ship repair and maintenance, nautical tourism and innovation and entrepreneurship.

All this is reflected in the dynamic program of the forum, which includes a wide variety of sessions, presentations and interactive activities focused on aspects such as innovation, sustainability, the evolution of the nautical maintenance and repair industry in Palma, as well as the opportunities and challenges facing the Balearic Islands as an international nautical tourism destination.

Up to 300 local and international attendees will be able to participate in this event, of which 100 will be eligible for a VIP ticket at no additional charge for the forum, and whose accommodation expenses will be covered by the Balearic Marine Cluster, in order to ensure the attendance of key players in the development of the industry in this first edition of many to come, as explained by Pedro Suasi, manager of the Balearic Marine Cluster.

The dates of the Balearic Superyacht Forum have not been selected at random, its celebration coincides with the first day of the Palma International Boat Show, which will be held from the 25th to the 28th of April and this year celebrates its 40th anniversary. The purpose of choosing these days is to expand the calendar of activities of the boat show. Silvia Delgado, manager of the Institute of Innovation of the Balearic Islands, has presented the new features that this edition awaits participants and visitors alike, noting that this edition will have as main axes the certification in sustainability and measuring the economic impact of the event.

The casuistry of both events promises to turn the city of Palma into the epicenter of the international nautical sector, giving participants the opportunity to enjoy both experiences. 

The manager of the Balearic Marine Cluster, Pedro Suasi also stressed the need for the sector to have reliable data on its true impact on the Balearic Islands from a socio-economic point of view, a need to which the Observatory of Nautical Companies created by Balearic Marine Cluster responds.

Currently the Balearic marine sector has 872 companies dedicated exclusively to recreational boating, generating in 2022 a direct turnover of 1,045M €, which represents 3% of GDP of the Islands. In addition, the sector is responsible for 4,874 jobs. 

Concentrating much of the activity in naval repair and maintenance activities (43% of turnover), followed by nautical tourism (39%), nautical services companies (12%) and distribution of nautical materials and components (6%).

In order to ground these data and have a deeper insight into the needs of the sector, two round tables were held. The first table, entitled "The impact of the REFIT industry in the Balearic Islands", has taken place with the participation of prominent speakers. Diego Colón, CEO of Astilleros de Mallorca, highlighted the added value that the nautical business fabric brings to the islands. Peter Brown, Global Director of Yachting Group, discussed the foreign influence on Mallorcan companies and the possible difficulties in accessing public programs. Antonella Della Pietra, Managing Partner of BWA Yachting Spain, focused her speech on the indirect impact of REFIT in our islands. Nacho Díaz, Technical Manager of Hill Robinson, analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of Palma as a REFIT destination in comparison with international competitors. Toni Salom, CEO of Nautipaint Group, highlighted the importance of improving air connectivity between Palma and the South of France, not only for the nautical sector, but also for tourism. And finally, Olimpia Corral, Chief Operating Officer of Baltic Yachts, addressed the need for training and education programs to ensure the generational replacement in the marine industry and stressed the need for the involvement of public administrations for it.

The second and last panel of the event "The impact of nautical tourism in the Balearic Islands" has counted with the participation of prominent speakers. Tomeu Bestard, CEO and President of Alcudiamar, has highlighted the importance of Marinas and Yacht Clubs in the region, proposing a roadmap to improve the competitiveness of the sector. Isabel Martinez, Commercial Director of IPM Group, focused on the promotional strategy of the Balearic Islands as a whole. Isabel Teruel, Operations Director of Port Adriano, has addressed the perception of saturation of the nautical destination in the Balearics, denying that the Balearics is a saturated destination by explaining a model of optimization of moorings combined with a good strategy of implementation of buoy fields. Guillermo García, Marketing Manager of Evolution Yacht Agents, analyzed the economic impact of yachts in the Balearics, offering figures such as the total number of yachts visiting the islands in 2023, amounting to 1,050 and 93 million euros spent on agency services alone. Oscar Siches, Consultant of Marinas and Ports, has delved into the competition in nautical tourism, comparing the strategies of other destinations with those of the Balearic Islands. Siches has emphasized the importance of not trusting us as a leading destination. Finally, Jaume Vaquer, manager of Jaume Vermell Náutica and president of AENIB, has examined the future of the sector that services boats under 24 meters in length in the Balearic Islands, stressing that it is a segment with a secure future and highlighting its importance in the Balearic economy.

The closing of the event was in charge of Alejandro Saenz de San Pedro, Minister of Enterprise, Employment and Energy, who referred to our islands as "the Capital of the Mediterranean". After listening to the various interventions, he recognized the need to learn more about the sector and increase the involvement of the administration. A challenge that, as he said, the Government is willing to take on. "We have been a long time without listening to the marine industry and it is time to look at the sea, but with open eyes," said the Minister.