14 DECEMBER 2015 | International Boat Industry http://www.ibi-plus.com
HEADLINES International Marine News
Latest edition of
annual Boating
Industry Statistics
published
ICOMIA AS ANYONE WHO
WORKS in the boating
business already knows,
statistics on the industry are
hard to come by. A highly
fragmented industry that has
grown up around enthusiasts
and family-run businesses,
the data reported by various
countries and
trade bodies
is often
incomplete,
inconsistent
and in some
cases almost
non-existent.
That puts the
International
Council
of Marine
Industry Associations
(ICOMIA) in a unique
position to compile an
annual summary of the bestavailable figures from its 35
member federations around
the world in a standardised
format, allowing year-to-
year comparisons across
multiple product segments
and countries. The latest
instalment of ICOMIA’s
annual Recreational Boating
Industry
Statistics is
now available
in digital
format,
summarising
2014 figures as
well as trends
for the first
half of 2015
as reported
by member
associations. Given the
industry’s data limitations,
the report undoubtedly
understates the significantcontributions boating makes
to employment and local
economies throughout the
world. At a minimum, the
consolidated figures indicate
the global boating business
consists of:- 100,000 direct companies
(primarily small to medium-
sized businesses) - 1 million direct employees
- 25 million recreational boats
- 25,000 marinas
- More than (40bn in
manufacturing turnover
The report is also evidence
of the popularity and global
reach of recreational boating,
which counts its participants
in the millions in both large
and small countries:- 87.3 million the US
- 13.2 million in Canada
- 9 million in France
The report
is evidence
of the popularity
and global reach of
recreational
boating, with
partipants in
the millionsThe 260-page resource includes:
- 3.5 million in the UK
- 2.5 million in Sweden
Another message
underscored by the data
is that boating remains an
affordable activity, accessible
to a considerable majority
of middle-income earners.
While a section of the report
focuses on superyachts and
global wealth, it is worth
a reminder – especially
to government officials
considering tax opportunities
− that the top-end of the
market only represents 2%
of the industry’s profile in
volume terms
Beyond the glamour of
superyachts, the majority
of boats around the world
continue to be small, modest
craft. For instance, in France
91% of registered motorboats
are under 8m (26ft), and in
Queensland and New South
Wales – two of Australia’s
biggest boating markets −
the proportion is 94% of
nearly 500,000 registered
boats, while in America small
craft under 26ft make up
95% − or approximately 11.
million − of the 12 million
boats registered in the US.
The full report is available
to companies and individuals
which are members of
ICOMIA’s underlying
member associations at
a reduced cost of (350,
or to non-members at a
cost of (700. ICOMIA also
offers subscribers the raw-
data Excel spreadsheets
underlying the annual
report, to assist those
carrying out more detailed
research. In addition,
purchasers will receive a
free 12-month subscription
of the ICOMIA Quarterly
Economic Statistics Report,
which contains quarterly
information on global
economic development.
For more information,
visit http://www.icomia.com.- A 2015 global
data snapshot - Detailed market
analysis provided by IBI
Consulting covering key
trends for the past year - Detailed national
reports on the
industry’s largest
market countries- Global summaries of
major product segments
from 24 countries - Export/import data for
international trade in
boats from 41 countries - Marine engine
statistics from ICOMIA’s
Marine Engine
Committee (IMEC)- International Boat
Show statistics
(courtesy of the
International
Federation of Boat
Show Organizers) - The 2015
Superyacht
Annual Report
(courtesy of The
Superyacht Group)
- International Boat
- Global summaries of