Over 1,000 boats, 215 new features, 45 countries represented from five continents, and an in-water layout that has grown by 4%: the Genoa Boat Show 2026, organized by Confindustria Nautica from October 1 to 6, 2026, and now in its 66th edition, presents itself with figures that capture an event in clear evolution. Growing above all are the larger boats and the multiscaphe sector, while the event’s program further expands its scope across business, innovation, training, and maritime culture.
The Genoa Boat Show 2026 grows above all in the water
The quantitative data is significant, but it is primarily the composition of the offer that tells the story of the market’s evolution. The surface area of the in-water layout grows by 4%, while the presence of larger units increases even more noticeably. The Yacht & Superyacht dock expands its occupancy, and the average size of the three largest units in each segment records an increase of 14.1% compared to 2025.
Another indicator comes from the world of multihulls, whose displayed units increase by 28%. Numbers that highlight a growth in the premium component of the event and, at the same time, the Show’s ability to intercept different segments of recreational boating.
“The numbers of this edition have a meaning that goes beyond quantitative data, because the Show is a direct expression of the market and industry it represents. We are talking about an industry that has reached 8.6 billion euros in turnover, generates over 13 billion in added value and nearly 170,000 employees, with about 90% of production destined for foreign markets,” states the President of Confindustria Nautica, Piero Formenti. “The growth of the in-water layout, the increase in the size of the boats present, and the evolution of the various segments describe a changing sector and an event capable of changing along with it. This is the strength of a Show organized by the national industry association: listening to businesses, interpreting their needs, and translating them into a project that holds together representation and market, industrial vision, and international projection.“
Living Made in Italy: Italian boating over 24 meters
One of the most evident signs of the growing attention toward the high-end segment is represented by Living Made in Italy, the new area created at quay H with the support of ICE Agency. The project was born to enhance Italian shipbuilding over 24 meters through hospitality spaces, lounges, and dedicated services. In particular, the initiative has favored the presence at the Show of superyachts in the range between 35 and 50 meters.
The choice fits into the Show’s return to the month of October and aims to further strengthen the presence in Genoa of major international operators. The new area thus becomes a showcase dedicated to one of the sectors in which Italian shipbuilding maintains a strong presence on world markets, transforming the Show into a meeting point among product, companies, clients, and international operators.
Blue Arena: the new space to bring the public closer to boating
The great novelty of the 2026 edition is also out of the water. Inside the new Palasport, fully utilized for the event, Blue Arena is born, a space created thanks to an investment by Confindustria Nautica and ICE Agency. The goal is to expand the boating audience and create a first point of access for those who do not yet know the world of navigation. The project brings together training, professions, innovation, sailing, and maritime institutions. Blue Arena will be articulated into five areas: Start Boating, StartUp & Innovation, Training and Maritime Professions, World of Sailing, and Military Maritime Institutions.
“Blue Arena represents an important investment of resources that we strongly desired in order to bring new audiences closer to boating, starting with young people, and to show not only what this sector produces, but also the opportunities it can offer,” adds Formenti. “It is an open space accessible free of charge, creating a new ‘embrace’ between the Show, the city, and the public. Its content reflects the Milestones of the Boating Plan 2025-2029: training and maritime professions, support for industry, innovation and sustainability, maritime culture, and the enhancement of Made in Italy.”
Particular attention will be reserved for the opportunity to practically approach navigation, also through boats with engines up to 25 HP and the promotion of the D1 nautical license, obtainable from age 16. The area dedicated to startups and innovation will be flanked by the one dedicated to training and maritime professions, with the involvement of universities, the Polytechnic University of Milan, and the Blue Skills Village. Sailing will instead be represented by the Italian Sailing Federation, from dinghies to the latest foiling applications.
Completing the itinerary will be the Italian Navy, the Harbor Master’s Office – Coast Guard, and the Guardia di Finanza, with activities and simulators designed for the public. Falling into the same logic is the confirmation of the Under 25 reduced-rate ticket, designed to encourage the entry of new generations to the event.
ICE Agency doubles international incoming
For a sector in which about 90% of production is destined for foreign markets, internationalization represents one of the central elements of the Genoa International Boat Show 2026. This year, ICE Agency doubles its commitment to the incoming program, both for buyers and international journalists: operators from 35 countries are expected, with a program that brings the number of foreign buyers from 70 to 180.
“When talking about boating in Italy, one cannot fail to mention the Boat Show, which has become an international point of reference,” emphasizes Matteo Zoppas, President of ICE Agency. “But even the most established events must continue to evolve, innovate, and increase their appeal, especially in a context of strong international competition. It is in this direction that we worked with Confindustria Nautica, significantly strengthening our contribution to the Show. This year we go from 70 to 180 foreign buyers: not only superyacht buyers, but importers, distributors, and dealers, key interlocutors especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. To this are added over 80 contacted journalists, the project dedicated to Start-ups, and an international communication campaign to strengthen the positioning of the Boat Show and Made in Italy on foreign markets.“
Marina Stella, General Director of Confindustria Nautica, emphasizes the role of the incoming program for companies: “For an industry like ours, strongly export-oriented, the international dimension of the Boat Show means creating qualified relationships and concrete opportunities for businesses. Doubling ICE Agency’s commitment to the incoming program allows not only the diversification of international participation, but also represents an effective tool for qualifying and consolidating the relationships that the Show is able to build for our companies in terms of international positioning.“
The events of the Genoa Boat Show 2026
The Show is not limited to the finished product. For the second year, the TechTrade Days return, dedicated to accessories and components. The appointment is scheduled for October 1 and 2, with over 400 specialized brands involved in a B2B format designed to facilitate meetings between shipyards, designers, technical offices, purchasing managers, manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers. A crucial segment for understanding the competitiveness of contemporary boating, where innovation and technological specialization run through the entire production chain.
The FORUM26 conference program will bring some of the most relevant topics for the boating industry into the Show. “The FORUM26 program stems from Confindustria Nautica’s role of listening and representation, and brings into the Boat Show the issues that directly affect the competitiveness of our companies. The patronage of the European Commission confirms the economic and scientific value of a program that connects industry, market, and institutions, delves into the topics affecting the present of companies, and anticipates the transformations that will determine the future of the sector—three directions through which FORUM26 interprets the association function of the Boat Show,” highlights Stella. “The Boat Show is a project that evolves with each edition and leaves a concrete mark on companies and the market because it stems from a great act of responsibility by Confindustria Nautica.”
The calendar kicks off as early as September 30 with the presentation of “Boating in Figures,” the market analysis for 2025 produced by Confindustria Nautica’s Market Intelligence Department together with Fondazione Edison and IULM COMAR. The following day will be dedicated to the inaugural conference “Industry, Innovation, Institutions: the shared routes of boating.” Other topics addressed include anti-money laundering, tax, customs, sustainability, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, maritime economy, startups and innovative SMEs, nautical tourism, and training.
Also prominent in the program are the 5th World Yachting Sustainability Forum, dedicated to the relationship between artificial intelligence, energy, and sustainability, the European Sustainable Boating Roundtable, the conference on the marine economy and the economic impact of yachting, and the XII National Conference dedicated to nautical tourism.
The Design Innovation Award celebrates six years of innovation
Design and research continue to find one of the event’s most representative moments in the Design Innovation Award. Reaching its seventh edition, the award established in 2020 by Confindustria Nautica and the International Boat Show aims to highlight design, technology, and sustainability in recreational boating. The international jury will be chaired in 2026 by architect Paolo Brescia, co-founder of OBR – Open Building Research.
On the occasion of the new edition, a volume dedicated to the first six editions of the award will be presented, featuring a selection of projects that have chronicled the evolution of yacht design in recent years. The announcement of the winners is scheduled for Friday, October 2, on the Terrace of the Blue Pavilion.
Maritime culture, publishing, and the America’s Cup
The Show also expands its space dedicated to culture and publishing, with meetings featuring authors and prominent figures from the boating world and journalism. Among the guests are Paolo Mieli and Antonio Caprarica, while as part of Incontri in Blu, organized by the Galata Sea Museum, speeches are scheduled by Riccardo Bonadeo, President of the One Ocean Foundation, and Giulio Bertelli, Vice President of Luna Rossa.
The America’s Cup will be another central element of the program. Indeed, the collaboration between Confindustria Nautica and the organizers of the competition continues, following the signing of the protocol that recognized the association as Strategic Marine Industry Advisory Partner of the 38th Louis Vuitton America’s Cup.
Genoa and its relationship with the territory
The Show also represents one of the tools through which Genoa and Liguria strengthen their relationship with the marine economy, as highlighted by Mayor Silvia Salis: “The Boat Show is an integral part of Genoa’s identity and its maritime vocation; it is our city’s largest brand on a national and international scale. It is an event that tells the world about the strength of Italian boating, but also about a city that continues to build its future on the sea. As a Municipality, we are committing ourselves precisely in this direction, launching the School of Maritime Professions and the Blue Economy to strengthen the bond between education, skills, and businesses, and create new job opportunities for young people or those who need to reinvent their profession. This year, the Show opens up even more to the city, with a Fuori Salone that will bring events and initiatives beyond the venue spaces. Among these, a special appointment will be with DJ Novah, one of the leading figures on the international electronic music scene. We want the Show to increasingly be an event of the city and for the city, capable of engaging Genoa and enhancing its maritime vocation, looking toward the future and the new generations.“
Conclusions
The 66th edition of the Genoa International Boat Show arrives in October with an increasingly complex formula. The exhibition figures reveal a growth in the in-water area, a larger presence of large yachts and superyachts, and a decisive increase in multihulls. But perhaps the most interesting fact is the expansion of the event’s function itself. Genoa will not only be a showcase for boats: it will be a meeting place between shipyards and market, components and design, Italian companies and international buyers. In this sense, the Genoa International Boat Show 2026 proposes itself as a snapshot of an increasingly international and diversified Italian boating sector, in which product, technology, design, training, and export capabilities move along a shared route.
Sources and References
Source | References |
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Organizer of the 66th edition of the Genoa International Boat Show | |
Presentation of data and economic analyses on boating |
Genoa International Boat Show 2026 – FAQ
When does the Genoa International Boat Show 2026 take place?
The 66th edition is scheduled in Genoa from October 1 to 6, 2026.
How many boats will be present?
Over 1,000 boats are expected, with 215 new features presented during the event.
What is the most significant growth figure for the 2026 edition?
The in-water layout grows by 4%, while the average size of the three largest units in each segment increases by 14.1% compared to 2025.
How many international buyers are expected?
ICE Agency's incoming program brings the number of foreign buyers from 70 to 180, with operators coming from 35 countries.
