Developing nautical tourism to change Italy

Nautical tourism in Italy could be developed tremendously if there was real political will. But a strategic development plan would be needed; our neighbors have done that. Why don’t we?

Nautical tourism in Italy. What is needed

It may be a coincidence, but it seems that politicians have turned a beacon on boating. The most active are Nello Musumeci, minister for sea policies, Adolfo Urso, minister for Made in Italy, and Daniela Santanchè, number one for Tourism, who have participated in countless conferences and meetings with mayors, association presidents, and regions.

Unfortunately, apart from generic attestations of attention to nautical tourism, nothing new and significant has emerged. Presentialism and that’s it.

Thus, on second thought, this sudden interest in boating has the flavor of a catwalk around Italy in search of visibility ahead of the European elections to be held on June 8/9.

Yet the development of nautical tourism would be a golden opportunity for Italy’s strategic future. That would bring new investment, jobs and eventually stable revenues for the state’s slender coffers. Italy is firmly in the rankings among the three most desirable nations in the world, “Made in Italy” dominates the luxury sector, and its 8,000 km of coastline contains the most iconic locations in the Mediterranean.

It is estimated that the annual spending on tourist activity by boaters in Italy in the territory (excluding boat-related expenses such as repairs/maintenance/port/mooring/buoys) was more than four billion euros in 2022. And if we compare the hotel sector to the nautical sector, daily attendance was over 40 million in one year. To top it off, there are about one million nautical tourists annually.

The size of the nautical tourist market is similar in expenditure to that of “moving tourism” on land, i.e., that of RVs, etc., but with significantly more tourists (about 5 million). The difference is that a nautical tourist spends 4/5 times more on land than a tourist moving on land.

Given these assumptions, the potential for increased revenue from nautical tourism in Italy, especially by attracting the influx of foreigners, is enormous. But a policy is needed to foster this development. Generic policy statements are not enough. A long-term national strategic development plan is needed.

And who does that? Certainly not the old committees of experts used by politics until now, which have involved state associations and agencies that aim in most cases to preserve special interests while inevitably maintaining the status quo.

What is needed are professionals, people who already do this job and know what is needed in the concrete, without particularism.

Nothing unfeasible, just take a cue from more advanced nations in this area, light years ahead of us. We are talking for the Mediterranean about Spain, France, Croatia. And an excellence of nautical tourism are also and especially the Nordic countries.

What should this nautical tourism development plan contain in broad outlines?

It should start with reception, that is, Mooring Infrastructure (Marinas, marinas and buoy fields). It should continue as a logical consequence to the regulations on parking along the coasts, standardizing the regulations and encouraging access to Marine Protected Areas as well. Third, it should think about nautical and tourism services, encouraging the development of facilities to ensure, at fairer and more uniform prices than today, the maintenance of boats throughout the territory and not, as today, in a patchy manner. Not to mention the increase in the fleet of charter boats, for daily or weekly use.

All this by cleverly using the European principles of blue economy development and access to its subsidized financing.

Yes, it is true, we should dismantle the current system of nautical tourism, where “every man for himself with different rules” reigns.

If then the Demanio (the Italian state) which, let us remember, owns the Italian coasts together with Enit (the national tourism agency) were to take the lead and promote this strategic plan for nautical tourism in Italy, leaving it to politicians to pass regulations in order to operate, limiting the interference of local authorities, what has never happened in Italy would happen. Perhaps impossible.

Luca Oriani

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