The Middle East is gearing up for the Dubai International Boat Show, which takes place at the Dubai International Marine Club in Dubai Harbour. Last year the show attracted more than 30,000 visitors from over 120 countries, alongside over 840 exhibitors from more than 55 countries, and this year's edition is shaping up to be even bigger.
Among the anticipated highlights, Oceanco will be revealing more details on its impressive new 90-metre luxury megayacht project, while Azimut exhibits its 66 flybridge yachts for the first time in the region. Gulf Craft will be showcasing design concepts for upcoming 175 and 200-foot superyachts under a new sub-brand, Majesty, and visitors can also see the revolutionary Kormaran K7.
The timing is significant. Dubai has announced plans to complete the Middle East's largest marina within four years as part of the Dubai Harbour megaproject, which includes a 135-metre Dubai Lighthouse tower housing a luxury hotel and observation deck, a cruise-liner terminal able to manage 6,000 passengers at a time, a yacht club, a shopping centre, hotels and residences.
With that scale of investment on the horizon, the regional boat market is growing decidedly bullish with its sales forecasts. After a previous edition that conducted 68 million USD of sales, there is plenty of reason to get excited about the maritime industry as the show embarks on a new chapter.
