Boaters at the Cannes Yachting Festival
Reed Expo presented the results of the 2021 edition of the Cannes Yachting Festival. After the cancellation of the 2020 edition due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the banning of fairs and exhibitions, the event was eagerly awaited and scrutinized, as an indicator for the nautical industry. Already perceptible in the aisles with numerous and often little masked boaters, the return "to normal" is confirmed by the figures. 54,400 visitors came to admire the sailboats and motorboats in the Cannes basins. This is a number equivalent to that of 2019, before the crisis.
Another question for the yachting professionals, the impact of the international transport restrictions remained limited. Half of the visitors came from abroad. Besides Italian, English was widely spoken in the aisles.
Fewer boats on display, more novelties and sales
A mechanical effect of the absence of boat shows, the number of previews of boats that could not be exhibited previously was high, up 10% according to Sylvie Ernoult, the show's curator. The number of boats was down by -4% and the number of exhibitors by -7%. Despite this, Sylvie Ernoult is satisfied with an edition prepared under difficult conditions. "We are proud and happy with these results. This edition was a real challenge at every stage of its organization. We have constantly taken into account new organizational constraints following the evolution of the legislation and have worked closely and efficiently with the Prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes, the sub-prefect of Grasse and their services, whom I thank. The more the opening date approached, the more we felt the motivation, the enthusiasm, the growing impatience of our exhibitors and our visitors to be in Cannes. This edition was incredible to prepare and to experience, for them as well as for my team and me. "
From the shipyards surveyed, the commercial results are good. Smaller shipyards with available manufacturing slots have benefited from the longer lead times of the major manufacturers to sell their boats.
