BYD (Balearic Yacht Destination) was the official sponsor of the recent Quaynote conference “Future of the Superyacht Industry” – exploring international and regional development – held in the Saratoga Hotel, Palma in October 2019. This one-day conference was packed with information, discussion panels and top players from the yachting industry, from the Balearics and abroad.
First to take the floor was BYD member James Van Bregt of Estela Superyacht Agency with his PowerPoint presentation “The drivers of superyacht traffic to the Balearics”. Here he talked about how more owners and charterers could be attracted, not only to cruise the beautiful Balearics, but also to winter here for refit and repair.
Another BYD member, Catrin Bassett, Distribution Manager BMComposites, talked about how valuable it was to have an association such as BYD to represent them at overseas shows and help with international marketing.
During the conference all sorts of issues regarding owning and/or chartering superyachts were addressed – mooring problems in the Balearics: taxation in Spain: tenders and toys: sales and charter trends in Spain and globally: pocket superyachts: helicopters on board: medical care on board: future coating systems: the future of Palma: the future of superyachts and the effects of Brexit on the yachting industry.
Many of the presentations took the form of panel discussions – how to build a better industry: trends: factors that constrict or create opportunities: rules and regulations: training: yacht recycling: environmental awareness: adaptability, flexibility and responsibility.
The closing panel “The Future of Palma” was led by Diego Colon, CEO of Astilleros de Mallorca and President of Balearic Yacht Destination. Among topics for discussion were how developments could benefit not just Palma, but the whole region and what is the future for Palma as an R&D hub for the superyacht industry.
The overall feeling was that, despite trends and future forecasts being hard to pin down, the Balearics are heading in the right direction regarding the future, and that any storms, whether Brexit or financial can be weathered. Mentioned time and time again was the diversity of the Balearic Islands, and their ability to benefit superyachts all year round.
