The Barcelona Boat Show highlights the emerging markets

The Barcelona Boat Show opens its doors on the 24th of September, coinciding with the start of the local celebration ´Fiestas de la Mercé´, with a special focus on the emerging markets, as Russia and China, to combat the sluggish domestic demand.

The show, which will go on in the Catalonian capital until the 29th of September, will have 236 exhibitors that will show more than 650 vessels, 60 of them for the first time in Spain, and hopes to achieve 50.000 visitors.

In the press conference, the director of the show, Jordi Freixas, explained that the organization carried out a market research to capture foreign residents and those foreigners with a residence in Spain, with a special attention to Russian citizens, who are becoming more and more prominent in the Costa Brava.

Although no specific activities has been planned for these visitors with high purchasing power, more Russian speaking staff will be available to make these visitors feel at home.

The General Secretary of ANEN, Carlos Sanlorenzo, defended this international approach of the show with a change of profile of the clientele, both when it comes to nautical enterprises and boat builders.

He pointed out that 60% of the 1.990 yacht registrations in Spain during the first quarter of 2013 correspond to foreign buyers, who in majority of the cases leave their boats moored along the Spanish coasts.

And on top of that, up to 80% of the production of the national boat builders is sold outside the Spanish borders, specially in Russia, China and South America.

The president of the show, Luis Conde, lamented the constant sinking of the market, which during the first quarter of this year has fallen by 28% compared to the same period last year, but was confident that an improvement in the economic perspectives for Spain would encourage the buyers, and would thus enable to revert the situation.

"We hope that an improvement in the economy will have a positive effect on the nautical sector. There is money around, but it stays hidden until the situation starts looking up", he assured.