THE ITALIAN MARINE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION PREPARES FOR THE WORLD CONFERENCE ON MARINAS
THE BIRTH OF THE SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON THE ECONOMY OF THE SEA ANNOUNCED
Day 5 of the 65th Genoa International Boat Show hosted the 11th National Conference on Coastal and Maritime Tourism, organised by the Italian Tourism Federation, Marina Association, Marine Industry Association.
President of the Italian Marine Industry Association Piero Formenti was joined by the Hon. Gimmi Cangiano, Chairman of the Parliamentary Intergroup on the Boating Industry, Chamber of Deputies, the Hon. Maria Grazia Frijia, Secretary of the Parliamentary Intergroup on the Economy of the Sea, Councillor Erika Guerri, Chief of the Cabinet of the Minister for Tourism, Roberto Perocchio, Chairman of Assomarinas, Paolo Pessina, Chairman of Federagenti, Carlo De Romanis, Head of Tourism, Forza Italia, moderated by the General Manager of the Italian Tourism Federation Antonio Barreca.
As part of the conference, the data from the survey conducted by Assomarinas, the Italian Marinas Association, in cooperation with the Italian Tourism Federation, on a large sample of marinas was released, which monitored turnover trends, considering both demand and turnover, also in relation to tariff adjustments.
For the fifth consecutive year, a very positive trend was recorded. After the Covid period, from 2021 onwards, the search for “open air” experiences favoured a return to nautical tourism and recreational boating. Marinas have benefited in particular from the positive performance of the second-hand market with hundreds of boats returning to marinas after refitting or re-engining, from the steady increase in the fleets of boats and yachts for nautical rental and chartering, and from the increase in the international superyacht fleet. Today about 2,000 units over 30 metres visit our coasts, even wintering and generating peaks of substantial presences during the summer.
The distribution is not uniform: Liguria, North Sardinia and the Gulf of Naples are the most favoured areas, but the benefit is gradually spreading throughout Italy. Marinas are investing heavily to adapt to the new sizes of boats. After years of crisis, the “marina machine” has started up again: dozens of coastal resorts are relaunching their investments.
Forecasts up to 2026 remain positive: there is expected to be a slight slowdown after years of strong growth, but our associates confirm expectations of continuity, with increases linked both to tariff adjustments and to the increase in the size of boats.
However, one crucial knot remains: the updating of the regulations and the reform of Presidential Decree n. 509 of 1997. This special regulation had then allowed the development of numerous projects through service conferences. The global financial crisis then put the brakes on its implementation. Today, new rules are needed for service conferences, for the reshaping of concessions and for a more competitive fiscal framework to allow all elements in the field to express their full potential.
“At the same time,” concluded Roberto Perocchio, “The Italian Marine Industry Association and Assomarinas are preparing the next world marinas conference by ICOMIA – the International Council of Marine Industry Associations – which will be held in Venice from 15th to 17th October and will bring together international experts, industry leaders, and policy makers to discuss the future of marina management, environmental sustainability, and innovation. The aim is to strengthen Italy’s marina offer”.
During the Forum, the cooperation agreement between the Italian Marine Industry Association and Federagenti was signed by Presidents Piero Formenti and Paolo Pessina. A Memorandum of Understanding committing the two entities to set up a permanent dialogue, coordinated by their respective General Manager and Secretary General. In particular, the agreement concerns the sharing of sector data, the result of the work of their respective Research Centres, the promotion and organisation of joint conventions, seminars, and conferences, the organisation of events for training, dissemination, and promotional purposes on topics related to international yachting, recreational boating, and, more generally, the blue economy, and consultation on advocacy and institutional representation activities.
The General Confederation of Italian Industries’ Technical Group for the Sea Economy, led by the President’s Delegate for the Sea Economy, Mario Zanetti, met today in Genoa during the International Boat Show and was attended by institutional representatives, including the Deputy Minister for Infrastructures and Transport, Edoardo Rixi, the President of the Liguria Regional Council, Mario Bucci, and the Mayor of Genoa, Silvia Salis, and, representing the Italian boating industry, the President of the Italian Marine Industry Association, Piero Formenti.
Zanetti: “The significance of this Technical Group for the Sea Economy under the General Confederation, which met at the Genoa International Boat Show, is to confront ourselves with the relative institutions in order to set the course to be followed in defining the country’s strategy. We worked on three strands: Infrastructure and Ports, Carriers and Fleets, and Skills. For each, we have identified critical issues and objectives that cut across all the components of the cluster“.
Formenti: “The General Confederation of Italian Industry is the only organisation representing the entire maritime cluster and the entire boating supply chain. That is why we are here, in front of one of the greatest shows of the Made in Italy industry, to team up and provide a united front with the Confederation“.
Bucci: “The boating industry is Italy’s identity card, representing the ultimate expression of engineering, design, entrepreneurial ability and the tradition of the workforce. We are here also because today the boating industry represents the leadership of the cluster of the sea“.
Roberta Angelilli, Vice President of the Lazio Regional Council: “From administrative simplification to training to energy transition, I agree with all of the General Confederation’s suggestions and I am here to reiterate the Lazio Regional Council’s willingness to be on board and play its part. The Simplified Logistics Zone, which is on the home stretch, will be an important enabling factor in our Region“.
During the meeting, the first national event “Liguria and Genoa, Capital of the Sea Economy 2026” was also announced, which will take place on 16th and 17th April 2026, in cooperation with the Liguria Region and the Municipality of Genoa. The initiative, which will continue in 2027 with the Regional Council of Campania and the City of Naples, intends to become an annual appointment for comparing notes, planning and promoting the blue supply chain.
Another key announcement saw the creation of the General Confederation of Italian Industry’s Scientific Committee on the Sea Economy, a permanent body that will have the task of rigorously and methodically accompanying the definition of strategies and supporting the General Confederation in drawing up operational proposals on infrastructures, fleets, skills, and sustainability, monitoring and assessing the impact of the policies adopted, and fostering dialogue between businesses, institutions, and the academic world to transform the sector’s potential into innovation, employment, and growth.
Today’s Forum25 and Eberhard & Co. Theatre events
Today’s 65th Genoa International Boat Show enjoyed a rich calendar of talks and conferences, that addressed key issues for the future of the boating industry, from training opportunities to sustainability, from technological innovation to culture.
The Media Centre hosted the traditional meeting with journalists, today featuring Alessandro Gianneschi, Vice President of the Italian Marine Industry Association, who outlined the framework of the Italian equipment and components segment, a segment that is the world’s leading sector along with that of superyachts and inflatable boats. Gianneschi gave exceptionally positive feedback on the TechTrade Days initiative, the B2B format dedicated to the latest designs and innovations from the industry with over 400 marine equipment and component brands taking part, two days devoted to business, technology and professional networking.
The theme of technology came to the fore in the afternoon with the conference “Charting a Course for Zero-Emission Boating: Technological Innovation and Sustainability”, organised by Italy’s National Centre for Sustainable Mobility – Spoke 3 – Waterways, with the participation of CNR, the Universities of Genoa, Naples, Pisa, Parthenope and Fincantieri.
At 2.30 pm, two parallel events added further topical content for visitors and professionals: “AI: From Designing to Managing a Boat”, organised by ATENA Lombardia and the Politecnico di Milano, and “Tax Systems and Competitiveness in the Boating Sector”, held at the Mezzogiorno Hall of the new Palasport Pavilion and promoted by the Liguria Section of the Italian Association of Tax Judges alongside the Italian Marine Industry Association, the Genoa Chamber of Commerce, the Genoa Bar Association, and the Genoa Order of Chartered Accountants and Accounting Experts.
Also in the afternoon, at 3:00 pm, the Genova Blue District and the Genoa City Council held a talk entitled “Climate and water, two challenges to face: generating knowledge, supporting innovative solutions”.
The conference kicked off with welcome addresses by Marina Celle, President of the Liguria Section of the Italian Association of Tax Judges, Cosimo Ferri, President of the first commission of the C.P.G.T., Luisa Giordano, Regional Director of the Liguria Revenue Agency, Giovanni Soave, Guarantor of Taxpayers for the Liguria Regional Council, and Marina Stella, General Manager of the Italian Marine Industry Association. Other speakers included Luigi Attanasio, President of the Genoa Chamber of Commerce, Stefano Savi, President of the Genoa Bar Association, Mauro Rovida, President of the Genoa Association of Chartered Accountants and Accounting Experts, Carmela Macchiarola, A.M.T. National Secretary General, and Barbara Benazzi, Vice President of CAT Liguria.
The scientific introduction to the conference topics was given by Dr. Alberto Cardino, Acting President of the Regional Tax Court of Appeal of Liguria.
The single session of the roundtable, moderated by Marina Celle, featured contributions from leading experts. Massimo Scuffi, former Councillor of the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation, dealt with the theme of abuse and avoidance in the boating sector; Remo Dominici, Professor of Financial Law, analysed the principle of territoriality in the provision of services in the nautical sector; Alberto Marcheselli, Professor of Financial Law and President of CAT Liguria, discussed VAT fraud and the fight against economic crime.
Next, Marinella Baldi Celle (Court of Milan) dealt with the taxability for TARI purposes of water spaces used as berths, while Andrea Lovisolo (Court of Genoa) focused on the taxability of the income of Italian seafarers embarked on foreign-flagged vessels. Roberto Neglia, Head of Institutional Relations at the Italian Marine Industry Association, analysed the evolution of nautical leasing five years after the 2020 reform, and Stefano Marchese, Vice President of Genoa Association of Chartered Accountants and Accounting Experts, outlined the prospects of a “fiscal route” to make the boating industry more competitive.
At 4.30 pm, the conference “Navigating Change: From Wind to Cloud”, organised by the Ansaldo Foundation and the Leonardo Foundation, in partnership with the Italian Marine Industry Association, opened with institutional greetings from Raffaella Luglini, President of the Ansaldo Foundation, Helga Cossu, Director General of the Ansaldo Foundation and the Leonardo Foundation ETS, and Piero Formenti, President of the Italian Marine Industry Association.
The programme then featured two themed panels. In the first, “Historic courses”, speakers included Antonio Calabrò, President of Museimpresa, Marco Doria, Professor of Economic History at the University of Genoa, and Giuseppe Costa, Chairman and CEO of Costa Edutainment.
The second panel, entitled “Navigating the Future”, explored the prospects of innovation with speeches by Paolo Cerioli, Innovation Director at Fincantieri, Andrea Campora, Managing Director of Leonardo’s Cyber & Security Solutions Division, and Greta Radaelli, Head of Leonardo’s Advanced Cognitive Solution Centre of Excellence.
This was followed by the presentation of the magazine “Civiltà dei dati” (Data Civilisation), by Director Jaime D’Alessandro, with the contribution of the Rector of the University of Genoa, Federico Delfino.
The conclusions were entrusted to Marco Bucci, President of the Liguria Regional Council, and Silvia Salis, Mayor of Genoa. The meeting was moderated by Claudia Cerioli, Head of the Ansaldo Foundation Historical Archives.
The Eberhard & Co. Theatre hosted the customary presentation of the 151 Miglia Trophy Cetilar 2026, the offshore regatta organised by the Yacht Club Repubblica Marinara di Pisa, Yacht Club Punta Ala and Yacht Club Livorno, scheduled for 30th May off the coast between Livorno and Marina di Pisa.
The day ended at 6.30 pm with the book presentation of Antonio Caprarica’s, “Kate and the Wales Curse. The new people’s princess defies centuries of misfortune”, in the VIP Lounge of the Blue Pavilion.
TOMORROW’S EVENTS – TUESDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER
FORUM25
10:00: CLOSING PRESS CONFERENCE – 65TH GENOA INTERNATIONAL BOAT SHOW
Forum Hall
EBERHARD & CO. THEATRE
10:30: “BLUE FLAGS” (Organised by the Liguria Regional Council)
