Sardinia, boating industry on the rise: tourism and manufacturing riding high

The 2025 edition of the boating industry report by Il Sole 24 Ore was presented last week in Milan. The event also provided the opportunity to share the results of the joint study conducted by CIPNES Gallura and the Northern Sardinia Maritime Directorate, focusing on superyacht arrivals along the Gallura coast.

Regional Councillor for Industry, Hon. Emanuele Cani, emphasized the strategic importance of the boating sector for the island’s economy.

“This presentation in Milan is a key moment to convey the significance of the boating sector in Sardinia, to strengthen ties with the industrial and academic worlds, and to promote new investments in production and training across the island. Our goal is to treat boating as a real industrial supply chain, supporting all production phases locally – from design to construction.”

The Councillor highlighted that Sardinia now has eight industrial consortia, seven of which are located on coastal areas near commercial ports – a strategic advantage for hosting shipyards and related businesses.

“Our island, already a prime destination for nautical tourism, is also becoming a production hub. This is confirmed by the growth in the sector’s total revenue: from €400 million to €644 million in just one year, making boating the fourth-largest industry in the Region by generated value.”

According to Councillor Cani, the Region is working to implement a widespread and sustainable development model that involves all territories within a coordinated and recognizable system:

“Our objective is to make Sardinia a single large nautical cluster, integrating production and services.”

One of the highlights of the Milan event was the updated study on superyacht traffic in Gallura’s waters, curated by Guido Piga, research officer at the CIPNES Gallura Research Centre, with support from the Northern Sardinia Maritime Directorate.

The data, collected using scientific methods and verifiable sources, reveals significant growth:

1,358 superyacht presences (vessels over 24 metres) recorded between 1 and 23 July 2025 – a +23% increase compared to the same period in 2024.
Estimated total value of these vessels: around $6 billion.
Most visited areas: La Maddalena (1,107 presences), Costa Smeralda (1,025), Porto Rotondo (862).
In June 2025 alone, 960 yachts were recorded, compared to 825 in June 2024 (+16%).
Each vessel was identified through the Maritime Directorate's system and cross-referenced with Superyachtfan’s database to determine ownership, size, value, builder and, with the help of Forbes data, the net worth of 204 yacht owners.

The study was developed in collaboration with the UniOlbia University Consortium, which, together with the University of Cagliari, promotes a bachelor’s degree in Naval Engineering – a program created in response to the industry's growing need for technical and specialized skills.

The event also featured the presentation of the 2025 Italian Boating Industry Report by Il Sole 24 Ore’s Research Centre, with input from Andrea Gianotti. The study provides an in-depth analysis of the sector’s dynamics, confirming Sardinia’s increasingly prominent national role in both boating industry and nautical tourism.

There are 1,510 active companies in Sardinia’s nautical sector, employing 5,778 people directly. Gallura, in particular, remains the sector’s core, with 717 companies, €339 million in turnover and over 2,800 employees – evidence of a mature, integrated and expanding ecosystem.

CIPNES President Livio Fideli – representing the North-East Sardinia industrial consortium cited by Councillor Cani – and Director General Aldo Carta, emphasized the institution’s strategic focus on supporting the boating sector. Among the key projects is one on marine bio-methanol: a concrete example of circular economy applied to superyachts.

With a €20 million investment funded by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Olbia is set to host a bio-methanol production plant using anaerobic digestion of organic waste and animal by-products from local sources and tourist flows, including the nautical sector. Consider that a 24-metre yacht can generate about one cubic metre of waste per week.

The result: a renewable, zero-kilometre fuel designed for high-end yachting visiting Sardinia.

The project, developed by CIPNES in partnership with the Region of Sardinia, the Municipality of Olbia, the Ministry of the Environment and the Polytechnic University of Milan, names Sanlorenzo S.p.A. – one of the world’s leading yacht builders – as its first client. The company has already announced the introduction of bi-fuel methanol-powered fuel cell yachts starting in 2029.

To build a bridge between the tourism and industrial segments of the boating sector, CIPNES and the Region established the Sardinia Boating Show, which will celebrate its fifth edition in 2026.

Angelo Colombo, organiser of the show held at Porto Rotondo marina, highlighted the event’s remarkable growth. In 2025, over 200 boats were exhibited and more than 55,000 visitors attended across five days. Strong commercial results, including key contracts signed during the show, have already led many exhibitors to book their space for 2026. The broad range of vessels on display, alongside numerous conferences and roundtables on technical and cultural topics, has made it one of Italy’s leading boat shows under the patronage of Confindustria Nautica.

Representing the trade association, Simone Morelli – Chair of the Boat Rental and Charter Companies Division – stressed that further institutional effort is needed to enhance the attractiveness of Sardinian and Gallura shipbuilding, especially for the service and refit segment of large yachts.

This includes strengthening Olbia airport’s year-round operations, especially in winter, with new connections to major European destinations as well as domestic ones. He also pointed out the need for improved local services to attract crews and their families during the off-season – a key period for maintenance and refit work.

Sanlorenzo’s Paolo Bertetti offered an insightful comparison:
“In France, anchoring near Posidonia seagrass meadows is strictly banned, with severe penalties but no real operational alternatives like mooring fields. The result has been a negative impact on tourism and the local economy, with reduced nautical presence.”

Since 2021, anchoring restrictions – increasingly stringent – vary by location and, while officially applying to yachts over 24 metres, in some areas (Côte d’Azur, Corsica) are extended to 20-metre vessels. Fines can reach €150,000, and may include seizure of the boat and a navigation ban in French waters.

By contrast, Sardinia is aiming to balance environmental protection and nautical hospitality through light infrastructure and long-term planning.

“Posidonia takes fifty years to regenerate,” said Bertetti. “It’s essential to protect it, but we also need to ensure access and services through real, manageable solutions. Sardinia already has operational examples, such as the regulated mooring field in Cala di Volpe (active since 2005), but we need a broader plan to create new equipped areas managed by local authorities or industrial consortia.”

Sardinia thus faces a dual challenge:

Strengthening its leadership as a global superyacht destination
Ensuring sustainable, integrated and durable development by aligning territory, industry, education and innovation.
The signals are positive, but continuity in policy and coordinated action will be key to transforming potential into long-term industrial value.

We will continue to follow developments.

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