General interest ports offer close to 30,000 slips for recreational boats at the "Boot Düsseldorf" fair
Spanish ports make a stop at Europe's largest nautical fair
- "Spanish marinas, right to the heart of town", the main claim of Spanish ports.
- Recreational sailing generates more than 110,000 jobs and represents 0.7% of Spain's GDP.
01-17-2020 (Ministry of Transportation, Mobility & Urban Agenda).
A Spanish delegation, led by Puertos del Estado, will be present at the largest European event dedicated to the port sector and recreational sailing, "Boot Düsseldorf", held between 18 and 26 January in this German city. At the "Ports of Spain" stand the ports of A Coruña, Balearic Islands, Bilbao, Cartagena, Las Palmas and S.C. Tenerife will be present, as well as Suncruise Andalucía (an association made up by the ports of Almería, Bay of Algeciras, Bay of Cádiz, Huelva, Málaga, Motril and Seville), and the Valencia Grouping of Ports for Recreational and Tourist Use.
The ports and marinas located in State-owned port facilities offer close to 30,000 slips, 1/3 of the total available along the Spanish coast. Furthermore, general interest ports represent half of the 27 facilities in the sector related to "megayachts", i.e. long recreational sailboats. This is why Puertos del Estado has edited a commercial flier that clearly and visually describes what each one of Spain's 28 Port Authorities offer, as well as the characteristics of their facilities and individual contact details.
Puertos del Estado's main objective is to promote Spain's recreational sailing sector at general interest ports, enhancing their global image through the following slogans: "Enjoy Spain's Marinas: Right to the Heart of Town" and "Top Marina Services in Harmony with Commercial Ports".
To do this, action has been taken by the State-owned port system from various perspectives, such as large public investments or institutional and financial support for the holding of large sports events; however, the main means used consist of a regulatory framework to stimulate the development of large investment projects, in such a way that this type of facility, in general, is able to be developed and operated by private enterprises.
Thus, the measures launched in the field of recreational sailing have basically resulted in lower taxation; preservation of this activity amongst the largest number of low-income users; consideration of the specificity of non-profit organizations (nautical clubs); and good environmental practices.
Taking into account that the fee levied on sports and recreational boats generated 9 million Euros for Spain's ports in 2018, representing 1.5% of the total fees collected for the use of port facilities, the promotion of sports-recreational sailing by general interest ports is clearly associated to boosting a tourist sector in Spain that helps diversify the range of leisure options, providing added value to local cities and Regions.
According to data provided by the sector, sports sailing (building, repair, associated industry and services) contributes approximately 0.7% of Spain's GDP and generates more than 110,000 direct and indirect jobs, as a sector with potential to generate a bandwagon effect (7 work posts are created and more than 4 Euros indirectly generated, induced by each Euro/job generated). Ultimately, this sector has become very relevant in Spain's economic development, which is associated to a large extent to another key sector of the economy: tourism and leisure.
