18 AUGUST–SEPTEMBER 2019 | International Boat Industry ibinews.com
Markets & Regions
EUROPE | ROUND-UP
W
hile 2018 was another difficult
year for Belgian marine
firms, some segments of the
industry seem to be picking up. “Second-
hand sales are increasing, charter is
booming, catamarans are doing well, and
speedboats from 16ft-26ft are selling well
too,” says Ludo Janssens at marine trade
association Nautibel, adding that some
companies are reporting growth of 15%.
Like last year, small motorboats under
9m continue to account for some 80% of
local demand, and while many are taken to
the Mediterranean for the summer boating
season, others are used on the Belgian
coast and inland waters. When it comes to
bigger boats, most Belgians use and often
buy them in countries like the Netherlands,
France, Spain or Croatia.
Christophe Coseyns at Conceptum
Exhibitions, organiser of the annual Belgian
Boat Show in Ghent, told IBI that despite a
slight pick-up in the market, new boats from
8m-25m are still difficult to sell – especially
sailing yachts – and that charter is the
preferred option for large models. Difficulties
selling new boats are compounded by the
widespread availability of second-hand yachts
at rock-bottom prices.
Keen to reverse this trend, Conceptum
recently launched a new on-water show Demand for sailing yachts is slowing
called Belgian Boat Show Float. The
two-day event is relocating this year
from Breskens to Nieuwpoort Marina,
and will take place from October 19-20,- “We needed to reinvent ourselves,
as people have become more demanding,”
Coseyns told IBI. “We’re doing everything
possible to refresh our events with more
dynamic lifestyle experiences, including
VIP moments, while not losing our focus
on boats. In Ghent we have new timings –
five days in February 2020 – as well as new
halls and new content. In Nieuwpoort we’ll
have a far better communication plan than
Breskens ever had, combined with new
boats, second-hand boats, charters and all
things related.”
But like many countries, Belgium suffers
from an ageing boating population and
too few young people entering the sport.
Other impediments to growth, says Ludo
Janssens at Nautibel, are a lack of finance
for new boats and uncertainty surrounding
boat licensing. A shortage of moorings in
cities like Ghent, Bruges and Brussels is
also stifling growth.
“We have new, stricter regulations for
boat licences and the registration process
takes too long – in some cases up to one
month – despite moving to an electronic
system,” he says. n
REAL GDP GROWTH (2018) 1.4%
REAL GDP GROWTH (2019 est) 1.2%
NUMBER OF ADULTS 8.9 MILLION
NUMBER $ MILLIONAIRES 424,000
BOAT PARK 45,000
CONSUMER CONFIDENCE
(Change in index points Jun/Jul) -1.0%
NEW CAR SALES
(Change Jan-Jun ‘18/19) -6.3%Complete Climate Solutions: Heating, Cooling & Roofs
BELGIUM
Photo: Pit De Jonge The Belgian Boat Show in Ghent. Next year’s event will be shortened to just five daysPhoto: Wouter Van Vaerenbergh