66th GENOA INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW: ALL SET FOR AN EDITION LOOKING TO THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY
Over 1,000 boats, 215 new products and 45 countries: from a stronger presence in the high-end segment to the Blue Arena, from international business and open dialogue with institutions to a new programme dedicated to maritime culture
Genoa, 28 September 2026 – With over 1,000 boats, 215 new products, 45 countries represented from 5 continents and an in-water layout that has grown by 4%, everything is ready for the 66th Genoa International Boat Show. Organised by Confindustria Nautica – Italian Marine Industry Association in Genoa from 1 to 6 October, the Boat Show preparations are underway to welcome the entire Italian and international boating industry supply chain.
The 2026 edition mirrors the evolution of the market and the needs of the industry’s businesses. Larger yachts taking part are on the rise: the average size of the three largest units in each segment has increased by 14.1% compared with 2025, while multihulls have recorded a 28% increase in the number of units on display. Alongside this development in products on display are new projects dedicated to the high-end segment and to introducing people to boating, a stronger international media and industry operators invitational programme, business opportunities across the supply chain, dialogue between industry and institutions, and a programme that broadens the Genoa International Boat Show’s cultural dimension.
“We open this 66th edition with a firm conviction and a strong ambition,” stated Piero Formenti, President of Confindustria Nautica, at the opening of the press conference. “Our conviction is that the Boat Show must continue to introduce new audiences to boating: that is why, together with the Italian Trade Agency, we have created an open, free-admission Blue Arena with five thematic areas dedicated to young people, training, innovation, sailing and maritime culture. Our ambition is to continue developing an international event organised by the industry for the industry, until it ranks among the world’s leading boat shows. All the conditions are in place, but we must achieve this together: Confindustria Nautica, institutions and the local institutions must each play their part and work in the same direction. The course is set and we have everything we need to follow it successfully.”
The 66th Genoa International Boat Show was presented today at the Casa della Vela (Sailing House) during a press conference opened by the President of Confindustria Nautica, Piero Formenti. Speakers included Silvia Salis, Mayor of Genoa; Luigi Attanasio, President of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce; Marco Bucci, President of the Liguria Region; Marina Stella, Director-General of Confindustria Nautica; Paolo Brescia, President of the Design Innovation Award Jury; and, representing the Teatro Nazionale di Genova, its President, Roberta Pinotti, and Director, Davide Livermore. The conference was moderated by Andrea Ferro, a journalist with Radio24.
Marco Bucci: “The new dates allow the Genoa International Boat Show to return to its traditional dates, and the first figures tell us that this was the right choice: more boats, more exhibitors, and we are expecting even more visitors,” commented the President of the Liguria Region, Marco Bucci. “But what really matters is business. The boating industry must continue to grow, because that means more jobs, more investment and greater development for the whole of Liguria. We have always believed in this sector, and the results are unmistakable. We have centres of excellence in Imperia, Savona, Genoa and La Spezia, including the Blue Mile, one of the world’s most important districts for large yachts. Liguria must continue to play a leading role and must not be afraid to aim high. The Genoa Boat Show also serves to bring companies, buyers and visitors here and generate economic activity locally. Those who come to the Boat Show stay in our hotels, eat at our restaurants and travel around Liguria. It is more than an event: it is an economic engine. Italy is a world industry leader in boating and stands at the pinnacle of manufacturing when it comes to large yachts. But we must also work on boats under 24 metres, which are used by most people. The more people take to the sea, the more the sector grows. That is the way forward: support those who invest, create the conditions for businesses to grow and continue to deliver results. The figures show that this approach is working, and that we must keep going.”
Silvia Salis: “The Boat Show is Genoa’s biggest international brand, one that makes our city known around the world, and we want to support it through a new period of growth. Our ambition is to make it the most important event in the sector worldwide. The return to October is a gamble that has paid off because it takes us out of the pressure created by the Monaco and Cannes shows. It is important for the whole city to come alive around the Boat Show during these days and to improve the connection between the city and the Show. That is why we have placed such emphasis on organising a Fuori Salone programme capable of engaging different audiences. We need to attract new visitors to the Genoa Boat Show, including people who might use a Fuori Salone event as an opportunity to discover a world they did not know before. I thank Confindustria Nautica for introducing a reduced-price ticket for over-35s on 2 October, the date in which DJ Novah’s performance will take place, and for setting up the new Blue Arena in the Palasport Pavilion, open to everyone free of charge.” The Mayor added: “Genoa must become the ideal stage for the Boat Show, with spaces designed to make the most of its potential. Infrastructure changes over the coming years will make the city more accessible and competitive, and the administration will continue to work with a long-term vision, because the most important results require continuity and planning. We will do this together with Porto Antico, Confindustria Nautica and everyone who works in this sector every day. We stand alongside the Genoa International Boat Show and are committed to building a strong, lasting path together for the city’s future.”
Luigi Attanasio: “The Chamber of Commerce confirms its support for the Genoa International Boat Show, with the aim of helping it become an event that increasingly engages the entire city and brings it to life. The Show is Genoa’s most important brand and deserves to be connected to the city through a programme of hospitality and initiatives that, together with the Municipality, the Region and trade associations, extend the event beyond the showground. Business associations have committed to this, with events taking place across the city, including in the historic centre. There is another issue I consider fundamental: giving the Genoa Boat Show an increasingly youthful image and bringing younger generations closer to the sea. Genoa has a deeply rooted maritime culture that is also part of people’s everyday lives, and we must pass it on to young people by showing them the opportunities the sea can offer. In a country with thousands of kilometres of coastline, the more people we can introduce to boating and maritime culture, the more value we can generate for the local area and the sector as a whole.”
An evolving product offering: the high-end segment and Living Made in Italy
One of the most significant features of the 2026 edition is the growing presence of larger yachts: occupancy of the Yachts & Superyachts marina is increasing, as part of an offering through which the Genoa International Boat Show represents the international leadership of Italian boatbuilding in the high-end segment.
Against this backdrop, the Living Made in Italy area is making its debut on the Show’s Quay H. Developed with the support of the Italian Trade Agency, the new area features exhibition spaces, lounges and hospitality services designed to showcase Italian boatbuilding for yachts over 24 metres, with support from partners Venini, Riflessi and Leonardo. The project has attracted superyachts in the 35 to 50 metre range and enriches the wider story of Italian boatbuilding through dialogue with other expressions of Made in Italy. The Show’s return to October is thus finding a tangible response in the market, encouraging major players to return and larger yachts to take part.
The Blue Arena: new audiences, younger generations and key skills
The new Palasport Pavilion will host the debut of the Blue Arena, an entirely new addition in the Boat Show’s 66 editions. Created through an investment by Confindustria Nautica and the Italian Trade Agency, it is designed to introduce a wider audience to recreational boating and turn curiosity and interest into knowledge, experience and opportunity. The space will be free of charge and open to the public.
The project comprises the following areas: Start Boating, Start-ups & Innovation, Training & Maritime Professions, World Sailing and Military Institutions. Start Boating will offer a practical introduction to boating, combining an opportunity to learn about boats with engines of up to 25 hp while promoting the D1 boating licence, available from the age of 16. Start-ups & Innovation and Training & Maritime Professions will focus on new ideas, skills and career opportunities; World Sailing, together with the Italian Sailing Federation, will bring everything from dinghies to the latest developments in foiling into the Blue Arena. The Italian Navy, Italian Coast Guard, and Guardia di Finanza will also be present with their simulations. The discounted Under-25 ticket is another measure designed to support this aim.
Business and international markets
For an industry with a strong focus on exports, the Genoa International Boat Show’s international dimension remains central. In 2026, the Italian Trade Agency is doubling its commitment to the incoming programme, increasing the number of foreign buyers from 70 to 180, including purchasers, importers, distributors and dealers, while international industry operators and media will come from a total of 35 countries.
On 1 and 2 October, the TechTrade Days return for their second year: over 400 specialised brands in accessories and components will take part in the B2B format, which directly connects shipyards, designers, technical departments, purchasing managers, manufacturers, distributors and suppliers. Over 4,000 industry professionals have been invited to attend the two-day event, including purchasing managers from Italian and international shipyards, ship chandlers, superyacht captains, yacht managers, refit and maintenance operators, distributors and dealers. The programme also introduces the TECH SEMINARS, a new project dedicated to training and information on technology, hosted in a dedicated area on the Upper Floor of the Blue Pavilion.
The 1 October opening ceremony brings industry and institutions together
The Genoa International Boat Show’s industrial and institutional dimension will take centre stage, beginning with the opening ceremony on Thursday 1 October, on the Blue Pavilion Terrace.
Following the traditional flag-raising ceremony carried out by the Italian Coast Guard and the sail-past by the Italian Navy ship Margottini, institutional addresses will precede the discussion “Industry, Innovation, Institutions: charting a common course for the yachting sector”, with Emanuele Orsini, President of Confindustria, and Piero Formenti, President of Confindustria Nautica. Closing remarks will be delivered by Adolfo Urso, Minister for Business and Made in Italy, and Matteo Salvini, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport.
The ceremony will be followed by the issue, in the presence of Minister Urso and Undersecretary of State with responsibility for Philately Fausta Bergamotto, of the stamp in the “Le Eccellenze del Sistema produttivo e del Made in Italy” series (Excellence of the Italian Production System and Made in Italy) dedicated to the Genoa International Boat Show, recognising the Boat Show as part of the story of Italian manufacturing excellence.
“Representing an industry today means being able to understand its complexity, interpret its transformation and connect all the factors that determine its competitiveness,” stated Marina Stella, General Manager of Confindustria Nautica. “This is the role the Genoa International Boat Show aims to play, and in the 2026 edition it is expressed through different languages, each able to convey an aspect of boating’s present and future. The language of figures helps us understand the market and guide decisions; that of industry and institutions brings the needs of businesses into dialogue with the policies needed to support their growth; the international dimension opens up new opportunities and strengthens the position of our companies in global markets. Innovation and sustainability identify new factors of competitiveness, while dialogue with younger generations focuses on the skills and talents on which to build the future of the supply chain. Alongside these are the languages of planning, design and culture, which interpret the evolution of boating and our relationship with the sea. The Show’s strength lies in bringing all these dimensions into dialogue on a single platform, connecting businesses, the market, institutions, culture and new audiences. Because representing an industry means more than describing its strength today: it means understanding what is changing, anticipating transformation and helping to create the conditions for the leadership achieved by Italian boating to continue to develop in the future.”
FORUM26: from the market to industry priorities
The discussion of industry priorities will begin on 30 September with the presentation of Nautica in Cifre (Boating in Figures), the analysis of the 2025 market produced by the Confindustria Nautica Research Department with Fondazione Edison and IULM COMAR. Over the six days of the Show, FORUM26, held under the patronage of the European Commission, will host discussions on the main factors shaping the industry’s competitiveness: sustainability and technological innovation, AI and cybersecurity, taxation and customs, the economy of the sea, nautical tourism, training and emerging professions (full FORUM26 conference programme: ).
Design Innovation Award: design interprets change
Innovation will also be at the heart of the seventh edition of the Design Innovation Award, established in 2020 by Confindustria Nautica and the Genoa International Boat Show to recognise excellence in design and support a culture of innovation in recreational boating. This year’s international jury will be chaired by architect Paolo Brescia, co-founder of OBR – Open Building Research. The winners will be announced on Friday 2 October during the Design Innovation Award Ceremony evening gala on the Boat Show’s iconic Blue Pavilion Terrace.
“Seeing the Sailing House so full of life and so well used today is the culmination of a project born from a very simple idea: creating a deeper relationship with the sea and giving the city a public space,” commented Paolo Brescia. “It is a collective project, part of the transformation of the Waterfront di Levante, that extends Genoa’s urban life out towards the sea: a common space open to everyone, from which to see the sea from the city and the city from the sea and which, during events, can become a true stadium for sailing races. I see the same sense of responsibility in the Design Innovation Award: design is undergoing a profound transformation and today cannot be limited to the pursuit of form or a product. We want to encourage a transition that is not only about energy, the environment or digital technology, but also about culture, shifting the focus from products to the ideas and processes that make them possible.
Because when we talk about yacht design, we are talking not only about boats, but about their relationship with people, the environment and the sea.”
Meetings, culture and entertainment at the Genoa International Boat Show
The events programme will run throughout the 66th edition, complementing the industrial and institutional programme with occasions dedicated to exhibitors, publishing, current affairs, maritime culture and entertainment.
On Thursday 1 October, Light over the Sea returns to the Blue Pavilion Terrace for an evening dedicated to the Boat Show’s exhibitors. The event offers the companies taking part in the Show an opportunity to meet and connect.
The Meet the Author events will feature Paolo Mieli on Saturday 3 October, Enrico Bertolino on Sunday 4 October and Antonio Caprarica on Monday 5 October. The Incontri in Blu, organised by the Galata Museo del Mare museum, will also take place on Saturday 3 October, with Riccardo Bonadeo, President of the One Ocean Foundation, and Giulio Bertelli, Vice-President of Luna Rossa. Mieli, Caprarica and the Incontri in Blu were among the events already announced in the Show’s cultural programme.
The programme also includes a collaboration with the Teatro Nazionale di Genova for an exclusive event connected to rehearsals for Orlando Furioso, opening up another dialogue between the Genoa International Boat Show and the city’s cultural productions. The theatre’s President, Roberta Pinotti, and Director, Davide Livermore, brought their greetings to the press conference and emphasised the importance of partnerships such as the one made possible by the Genoa International Boat Show.
