26,755 people from 76 counties attended the Dubai International Boat Show in March this year.  With reported figures of 26,000 visitors in 2012 it seems this destination is attracting similar numbers each year. The post show report, which has just become available shows that although 78% of visitors were from the Middle East, guests from Europe and the Africas were also very much in attendance.

89% of visitors rated the overall quality of  the show as good to excellent and those  represented included VIP's & royalty, ultra high net worth individuals, trade buyers, distributors, captains, naval architects, coast guards, yacht owners, leisure marine enthusiasts, industry professionals and the media.

Salim Tayssoun, CEO of Princess Yachts said, “This year’s show demonstrates that we are on the right track to put the recession behind us, as we have real buyers who know what they want. We are already in negotiations for 10 boats worth AED 60 - 65 million with 60% potential going through the paperwork now. We’ve seen a high number of internationa buyers locally, especially from Qatar, and many European expats from England, Seychelles, Scotland and Spain.”

Sultan Al Shaali, CEO of Al Shaali Marine commented, “We confirmed two boat sales within the first half hour of this year’s Dubai International Boat Show, following the launch of our 50 foot locally-made sports craft that can travel from Dubai to Abu Dhabi in 45 minutes. The second day of the show marked a 10% increase in potential customers, and we are very pleased with the return on exhibiting this year.”

The Superyacht Owners’ Guide (SYOG) and Yachting Pages were official Media Partners of the show. They exhibited in the Luxury Supplies and Service Lounge and were impressed with the number of industry professionals that attended.

Ian Jones, sales manager at Yachting Pages said, “Attending The Dubai International Boat Show allows us an opportunity to not only catch up with our existing clients but also to speak with many new potential businesses who are keen to understand the benefits of working with our leading publications. The show itself seemed well organised with a good mix of industry sectors exhibiting.”

According to the figures, 70% attended to purchase marine products and research information and 85% met their main objective of visiting. With the Middle East set as one of the most promising emerging markets in the industry the Dubai International Boat Show is one to watch.

For further information about DIBS visit the Dubai Boat Show.

For details about Yachting Pages, visit www.yachting-pages.com or for SYOG, visit SYOG on Yachting Pages.