The 58^th Genoa International Boat Show drew to a close last month, culminating in a record edition that brought with it exceptional results not only in terms of visitors and business but also in terms of income and marketing for the Genoa province and the Liguria region as a whole.

According to event organiser UCINA Confindustria Nautica, 174,610 visitors people visited the six-day show (September 20-25) – a 16% increase over the previous edition. There was also a significant international presence with more than 33% of visitors coming from abroad, including from Israel, Australia and Hong Kong.

Based on an extrapolation of average spending activity from sample groups of exhibitors and visitors between September 10-30 (which includes various phases of the show such as setting up and taking down the stands), the income generated by the Genoa International Boat Show for the city of Genoa and for the region came to over €60m.

This is a conservative amount, says UCINA, as it doesn’t take into account the many activities preceding and following the boat show that wereorganised by the same boat show committee, including sporting events, training and boat tests.

Equally impressive figures can be seen in terms of arrivals at Genoa Airport: compared to the same time last year, there was a 35% boom in air traffic along with a 13% increase in private planes landing. The numbers are also confirmed by the presence of roughly 1,000 VIP visitors – entering by car with reserved parking – from the world of national and international business and finance.

This year’s Genoa show was also the stage for 620 events in the form of ForumUCINA conferences, seminars, meetings and parties, often organised by the exhibitors themselves. Around 150 foreign operators and journalists from 27 countries attended the show, thanks to a mission organised by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in partnership with UCINA.

Figures released by UCINA on the opening day of the show point to a consolidated recovery of the market, with total industry turnover in Italy reaching €3.88bn in 2017 – up 12.8% compared to the previous year. As the show drew to a close, UCINA’s General Council began discussing the possibility of organising a second-hand boat show in the same location.