The market for the operation of marinas - Italy (2024)

1.1 Definition and presentation

The term "marina" is used to describe a variety of places, ecosystems, buildings, and surroundings ranging from small natural bays, to large, contemporary private boat harbors. In reality, there are at least two types of harbors: permanent harbors and staging harbors, both of which host boats that moor there permanently for most of the year. Transit ports serve as a tourist attraction for cruise ship calls or as a convenient stopping and refueling place for traveling ships. Urban ports often consist of portions or docks of large cities and are located on city waterfronts. Ports located outside metropolitan areas were built to enhance a tourist attraction rather than to serve the needs of the local population. Finally, there are ports accessible by foot or bicycle, ports accessible by car, and ports accessible by plane. Such marinas vary not only in size, but also in the nature, number, and quality of services they provide.

In 2021, the marina industry has a market value of $6.1 billion as measured by revenue; it is expected that the market size of the marina industry will grow at a CAGR of 3.4 percent.

Marinas are in high demand in Italy today, both by the market and by local governments, as they are seen as the growth engine of a coastal region's tourism industry, as well as an economic activator and integrator of inland tourism resources. Although the Italian peninsula is a great place for boating, the country nevertheless lags behind its European counterparts. Statistics show that there is one boat for every 750 people and only one well-equipped berth for every two boats. There are 537 marinas and moorings totaling more than 160,000 berths along Italy's 7,500 kilometers of coastline, including islands taking into consideration marinas, docks, canal ports and a portion of multipurpose ports. In the Mediterranean, particularly in Italy, there is still much to be done in the marina sector. The market for recreational boats (and thus their manufacture) is known to be expanding rapidly, especially in Italy, and is geared toward boats of increasing proportions and higher quality.

In Italy, the emphasis of operators is currently focused on the rehabilitation, growth and reorganization of existing port regions rather than on new ventures for which state concessions and municipal and construction licenses are more difficult to obtain.