Source: pomorac.hr
The sun, the sea, more than 200 vessels, including the most luxurious yachts, confirm that central Dalmatia has become an unavoidable point on the map of nautical tourism. The third edition of the Dalmatia Boat Show, an international nautical fair, was officially opened in Marina Baotić in Seget Donji.
It is clear at first glance that the fair has established itself as a serious regional event. An impressive fleet of yachts and ships and a rich accompanying program until Sunday, April 19, will attract numerous visitors, from industry professionals to sea lovers.
“Indoor winter fairs in Europe are stagnating, while those by the sea and the sun are growing, because boats belong to the sea, not to halls. Dalmatia Boat Show is in the right place and at the right time, which is confirmed by the growth from 120 to 180 exhibitors in just three years. This fair is today one of the key gathering places of the nautical industry and a project that has a clear future. This is not just an exhibition, but a meeting of everyone who makes a living from the sea: from manufacturers and service providers to charterers and buyers. Fairs are still needed, and this concept has a future because it combines business and experience. We face the challenge of further growth, but also the opportunity for our nautical fair to become an even more important reference point for nautical tourism on the Adriatic,” said Marina Baotić owner and fair initiator Željko Baotić at the ceremonial opening of the third edition of the Dalmatia Boat Show.
Croatia is at the top of the world in nautical tourism
“Croatia is at the very top of the world in nautical tourism, with a fleet of 4,850 boats, 86,500 charter bookings, around 590 thousand sailors and 3.8 million overnight stays per year. This sector also strengthens the economy – 1,080 companies operate in it, of which 181 new ones were opened last year alone. The interest of foreign guests is also continuously growing, as confirmed by the more than 51 thousand foreign vessels that sailed into Croatian marinas last year,” said Tomislav Mihotić, State Secretary at the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure.
“This fair brings us back to our foundations – the sea as the key to economic and tourist development – and has shown great value for the entire county since its first year. In addition to business results, its greatest strength is in connecting people, knowledge and institutions, which we as the County will continue to strongly support,” said Stipe Čogelj, Deputy Prefect of the Split-Dalmatia County.
Nautical tourism a generator of economic development
The representative of the Croatian National Tourist Board, product manager for nautical tourism, Kruna Šolić Sutlović, emphasized that it is extremely important that the Dalmatia Boat Show is continuously organized in the Split-Dalmatia County, since this county records the highest number of arrivals and overnight stays in charter.
“It is also important that the fair is organized in Marina Baotić, since this is one of the busiest marinas, both in the county and in Croatia. It is a highly categorized marina with four anchors. Boaters are one of the first guests to open the pre-season and one of the last to close the post-season, and therefore we can say that nautical tourism is one of the main generators of economic development in this region,” said Šolić Sutlović.
A strong mark on the development of Dalmatia and Seget
Nikola Petričević, representative of the Split-Dalmatia County Tourist Board, also pointed out that the Dalmatia Boat Show plays an important role in the county’s tourism offer, especially in the pre-season. He said that another demanding season awaits us, but through cooperation and exchange of experiences, our goal is to maintain the high quality and competitiveness of tourism.
“The Dalmatia Boat Show gives a strong stamp to the promotion and development of the Municipality of Seget and opens up new opportunities for cooperation and growth. This kind of nautical center brings a new dimension to our tourist offer, which we have strongly supported from the beginning and will continue to develop. Our goal is to raise the standards and quality of the space, so that Seget continues to grow as a modern and desirable destination,” said the Mayor of the Municipality of Seget Ivo Sorić, joking that in Seget Donji they don’t sing “daddy buy me a car”, but “daddy buy me a yacht”.
