The Sydney International Boat Show closes on a positive note

The 45^th Sydney International Boat Show closed tonight having put on a first class display of the recreational boating lifestyle for more than 60,000 visitors.

As expected, the number of visitors was less than last year, but on a positive note the 63,887 that did attend showed a strong passion for boating.

The BIA said that the last 10 years has shown that there is a direct correlation between the number of visitors to the show and the number of new vessel registrations for the year.  Based on the number of new registrations for the first 6 months of 2012, the BIA was expecting fewer visitors.  As such, with the visitors they did get, if the trend continues we can only assume that the second 6 months will be much better for the industry and hopefully we will see it in the results from this year’s show.

The show proved to be a highlight for the recreational marine industry with many exhibitors reporting success and this together with the launch of the new MyBoatingLife.com.au web site will be a good foundation moving forward.

To celebrate the close of a successful event, the Boating Industry Association tonight launched a virtual tour of both the halls and marina.  The tour can be seen on the shows web site www.sydneyboatshow.com.au. This virtual tour will allow visitors to relive the experience from the comfort of their homes.

Visitor numbers for the show were: