Thursday April 28, 2022
The Palma International Boat Show opens its doors at the Moll Vell with a record number of participating companies
- President Armengol and Vice President Yllanes inaugurate the new edition of the boat show, which can be visited until the 1st of May.
The President of the Government of Catalonia, Francina Armengol, and the Vice President and Minister of Energy Transition, Productive Sectors and Democratic Memory, Juan Pedro Yllanes, this morning inaugurated a new edition of the Palma International Boat Show in Palma’s Moll Vell. The boat show, which can be visited until the 1st of May, is organised by the Institute for Business Innovation of the Balearic Islands (IDI), an entity under the Vice-Presidency and Regional Ministry of Energy Transition, Productive Sectors and Democratic Memory, and the Balearic Yacht Brokers Association (BYBA).
The new edition of the Palma International Boat Show has 276 participating companies, six more than in 2019 and 49 more than last year, representing an increase of 21% over 2021. In addition, a total of 264 boats will be on display at sea.
President Armengol thanked the organisers of the event for their role in “consolidating a nautical fair at an international level” and reminded that “our goverrnment is very clear about its commitment to economic diversification and the nautical sector, which gives added value to our economy”.
Armengol also explained that her government wants to promote vocational training possibilities in the nautical sector with invests of European funds because “we need highly trained human capital for an industry that is leading and will continue to be growing in our community”, especially those companies in the sector that “are committed to a decontaminated sea and work in line with the fight against climate change.
The Vice President stressed the importance of the marine industry for the economy of the Islands and especially for the industry, as it is considered strategic within the Industry Plan of the Balearic Islands. Yllanes recalled that “this is a sector that generates more than 4,500 direct jobs in about 650 companies that generate about 840 million euros a year.
One of the highlights of the new edition is the participation of new companies that had never been part of the PIBS before. Specifically, 28% of the exhibitors are coming to Palma for the first time to showcase their nautical innovations. As for what is on offer, the PIBS will be the setting for presentations of new products and boats on a global scale, as it is the first boat show of this year’s season and many shipyards have chosen Palma to present their new models. Also noteworthy is the increase in the sailing exhibition, one of the most sustainable systems for sailing at sea. Apart from this, the hybrid or electric boat segment is once again growing, as well as the most sustainable products that are compatible with protecting the sea.
It is worth highlighting the interest that this next edition has awakened among local (54%), national (18%) and international (28%) companies. In fact, in recent years the Palma International Boat Show has become the event that opens the nautical season and one of the most important gateways for international companies that want to establish themselves on the islands, or to establish relations with local firms and thus open up new business channels.
The Palma International Boat Show includes the Palma Superyacht Village, for the sale and charter of boats over 24 metres in length. This year it is characterised by having the largest exhibition of sailing boats in Europe, as well as a wide range of motor boats. This area also includes the area dedicated to the repair and maintenance of boats (refit), which this year has the participation of 21 companies dedicated to this activity of the nautical industry, as well as service companies in other areas of the fair. On the other hand, the Palma Superyacht Village will be inaugurating a new area dedicated to crews, where specialised activities and training will be held, a commitment to growth in the coming years.
Educational offer
During the official visit, the Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Martí March and the Director General of Vocational Training and Higher Artistic Education, Antoni Baos visited the stand of the CIFP Nauticopesquera, a centre that offers different training cycles related to the nautical sector. Students from this centre will provide visitors to the fair with information related to the different cycles of the Maritime and Fishing professional family that are taught, both at intermediate level (Maintenance and control of machinery for ships and boats) and higher level (Organisation of the maintenance of machinery for ships and boats and Maritime transport and deep-sea fishing). The latter cycle is also taught at the CIFP Can Marines (Santa Eulàlia del Riu, Ibiza).
On the other hand, staff from the Planning and Participation Service of the Directorate General of Vocational Training and Higher Artistic Education will inform about the rest of the training offered in the professional family of Transport and maintenance of vehicles that is related to the nautical world and that is taught at the CIFP Juníper Serra (Palma) and the CIFP Centro del Mar (Maó): Basic vocational training in maintenance of private and recreational boats and intermediate level of maintenance of recreational boats. Staff from the Institute of Professional Qualifications of the Balearic Islands (IQPIB) will provide information on professional qualifications related to the nautical sector.