20 AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2019 | International Boat Industry ibinews.com
Markets & Regions
EUROPE | ROUND-UP
Danes tend to favour small motorboatsI
n Denmark, the smallest of the
four Scandinavian markets, 2018
was another year of solid growth as
boaters f locked to the water during one
of the hottest summers on record.
“The general trend is positive, both
for domestic sales and exports,” says
Sune Jensen at Danish boating industry
association Skib & Bad (formerly
Danboat). “In 2018, exports were up by
more than 15% compared to 2017 and
were mainly driven by demand from the
rest of Europe.”
In terms of production, Denmark
specialises in sailboats and small fishing
vessels – mostly for export to Europe,
Greenland and the US. X-Yachts is the
country’s largest serial boat producer
with an estimated output of 200
performance-oriented sailing yachts
each year, followed by a handful of
smaller companies such as Quorning
Boats, builder of the Dragonfly range of
trimarans.
In terms of usage, however, the
Danes tend to favour small motorboats,
and sales of new and used models
are enjoying relative strength. Boat
rental companies that focus on electric
powerboats are an ongoing trend,
although the activity takes place mainly
in the cities.
The Fredericia Boat Show, held every
two years in February, continues to
pull in record crowds. “We had a very
successful event this year with 30,880
visitors in total,” exhibition managerLars Søndergaard told IBI.
Feedback from the time was
overwhelmingly positive.
“We had some really positive and
busy days,” said Søndergaard when the
seven-day boat show closed. “Many of
the visitors are still quite high after the
fantastic summer of 2018 and they can
hardly wait to get on the water. The
feedback from exhibitors is that the
mood and desire to act was top notch.”
Sune Jansen at Skib & Bad says Danish
marine firms are “slightly positive” in
2019, but growing economic uncertainty
from Brexit is dampening potential
export growth, and development of the
domestic market is restricted by a yearly
tax of 1% on the insured value of
a boat. n Helsinki Boat AfloatA
n exceptionally long, hot summer
in Finland and its continued
economic upswing helped lift
sales in the Finnish boating market by
10% last year. Boat registrations were up
by 7.5%.
“This positive sentiment carried
through to spring 2019, resulting in a
strong first half,” Jarkko Pajusalo, CEO
of Finnish marine industries federation
Finnboat, told IBI.
Most boats sold in Finland are
small, outboard-powered motorboats
used for day trips to the summer cottage
or other leisure pursuits such as fishing.
“This part of the market is dependent
on the weather, so 2018 was a very good
year and some of the most popular
models sold out,” Pajusalo says. “PWC
sales have been growing at a double-digit
rate in recent years and 2018 was the first
year when sales surpassed 1,000 units.
The 9m-10m range is also developing
very well and even bigger motoryachts
have seen a recent upswing in the
Finnish market.
“Over 70% of boats in Finland are
exported though, and exports declined
due to the timing of large yacht
projects,” he adds.REAL GDP GROWTH (2018) 1.4%
REAL GDP GROWTH (2019 est) 1.9%
NUMBER OF ADULTS 4.5 MILLION
NUMBER $ MILLIONAIRES 243,000
BOAT PARK 310,000
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
(Change in index points Jun/Jul) -2.9%
NEW CAR SALES
(Change Jan-Jun ‘18/19) +1.3%REAL GDP GROWTH (2018) 1.7%
REAL GDP GROWTH (2019 est) 1.4%
NUMBER OF ADULTS 4.3 MILLION
NUMBER $ MILLIONAIRES 80,000
BOAT PARK 1,100,000
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
(Change in index points Jun/Jul) 3.0%
NEW CAR SALES
(Change Jan-Jun ‘18/19) -13.4%DENMARK FINLAND
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The general trend
is positive, both
for domestic
sales and exports. In 2018,
exports were up by
more than 15%
over 2017 Fredericia pulled in record crowds this year