TRIESTE – Italy’s recreational boating industry continues to rank among the most significant industrial supply chains in the Made in Italy system, with more than €13 billion in added value and around 168,000 jobs in 2024.
The figures come from the reports “La Nautica in Cifre Monitor – Market trends 2025/2026”, prepared by the Research Office of Confindustria Nautica with Fondazione Edison, and “Geographies of the Italian boating supply chain 2026”, edited by Fondazione Symbola, presented in Milan at Palazzo Edison.
According to the analyses, the sector is showing a structural consolidation of shipbuilding and a strengthening of the competitiveness of the entire supply chain, despite an international environment marked by geopolitical tensions, high interest rates and macroeconomic uncertainty.
«Today’s event (yesterday, ed.) marks the start of the annual programme of initiatives through which Confindustria Nautica intends to provide the sector with analysis and strategic direction – explained president Piero Formenti –. In a global context shaped by major economic and geopolitical change, the Italian recreational boating industry continues to demonstrate solidity, adaptability and strategic vision. Trends remain differentiated across segments: large yachts are growing, the mid-range is holding steady, while small craft are being more affected by consumer confidence, which is currently dampened by complex cyclical conditions».
The superyacht segment continues to represent the strength of the Italian industry. After a positive 2025, with 50% of companies reporting higher turnover and 25% remaining stable, order books are still at high levels. According to Boat International’s Superyacht Global Order Book 2026, Italy’s share of the global order book has risen to 52%, equal to 568 units, despite a slight contraction in global orders.
The situation is more mixed in production up to 24 metres. After a 2025 marked by signs of contraction, prospects for the 2025/2026 boating year are more favourable: the share of companies expecting growth in business volumes has risen from 23% to 46%, while negative forecasts have fallen to less than a quarter of the sample.
Sales networks are also showing improved expectations. While 62% of operators expected turnover to decline in 2025, forecasts for the current boating year indicate that negative estimates have narrowed to 37%, with 50% of operators expecting stable results.
In the accessories and equipment segment, results remain mixed, but the share of companies expecting an increase in turnover has risen from 30% to 39%. Positive signals are also coming from the marine engines sector, where 38% of companies estimate growth in business volumes and 50% expect stability.
The chartering and leasing segment for recreational craft remains highly dynamic. In 2025, 57% of companies recorded turnover growth, while for the current boating year 64% of operators expect a further increase in business volumes. Only 7% foresee a decline.
The outlook is also positive for nautical tourism and marinas. According to estimates from companies in the segment, 75% expect turnover to increase in the 2025/2026 boating year, while only 12% of the sample expect a reduction.
Among the external factors weighing most heavily on sector performance, companies cite geopolitical tensions, labour costs and interest rates. Inventory overhang also remains a significant issue for several operators.
In this context, exports continue to be one of the main growth drivers. According to Fondazione Edison data, over the latest rolling year – between November 2024 and October 2025 – exports from the Italian boating shipbuilding industry exceeded €4 billion.
The Fondazione Symbola report also highlights the supply chain’s strong multiplier effect. For every euro of added value generated by boatbuilding, a total of 5.2 euros is activated across the entire production chain. Likewise, every worker employed in the core of the supply chain generates an average of 7.1 jobs overall.
Boatbuilding remains concentrated in a number of key regions – including Tuscany, Lombardy, Marche, Liguria, Campania, Piedmont, Sicily and Lazio – which represent the sector’s main hubs of specialisation and expertise. In recent years, the strengthening of the industry has also been supported by processes of industrial consolidation and by a gradual increase in higher value-added activities within shipyards.
