Palma Boat Show kicks off the Med season today
All images courtesy of Palma International Boat Show.
The Palma International Boat Show 2024 (PIBS) opened its doors this morning, marking the 40th anniversary of the annual Spanish boat show.
PIBS kicks off the Med show season and runs from today until 28 April 2024 in Palma’s Moll Vell, on the island of Mallorca.
A record 295 exhibitors will be participating in this year’s event, an increase of 24 companies compared to the previous edition. There are 260 boats on the water, compared to 252 last year, with the overall lengths remaining the same. Around 32,000 visitors are expected during the show.
Palma Superyacht Village
The Palma International Boat Show includes the Palma Superyacht Village, previously named the Palma Superyacht Show, a section specially designed for acquiring or buying boats over 24 metres in length, both sailing and motorboats, organised by the Balearic Yacht Brokers Association (BYBA).
One of the new features of the Palma Superyacht Village is the Superyacht Square area, an evolution of the Innovation Corner that was launched last year. In addition to the Yachting Ventures startups, the area will include a zone dedicated to sustainability.
Superyachts on display include the 51m Royal Huisman sailing yacht Borkumriff IV, the 45m Logica Forever and 35m Benetti Sea Belle.
Sunseeker’s 27.1-metre Ocean 182 will make its first Mediterranean appearance since its debut at boot Düsseldorf earlier this year. Poland’s Sunreef will show a Sunreef 70 sailing catamaran, Stylia.
Pearl Yachts will show all three of its current models, the Pearl 62, Pearl 72 and flagship Pearl 95, with an LOA of 29.22m.
Mallorca Yachting Summit
The Mallorca Yachting Summit will take place on 26 April in the auditorium of the Port Center Building, giving visibility to the exhibitors of the boat show, who will be able to share and present their products.
Hosted by the Palma Superyacht Village, this gathering is designed to unite local businesses, industry titans, experts and enthusiasts for insightful discussions on the forefront of the nautical sector.
The full agenda for the Mallorca Yachting Summit is available on the Palma International Boat Show website.
The Balearic Superyacht Forum
The two-day Balearic Superyacht Forum, organised by the Balearic Marine Cluster, is the first international superyacht forum in the Balearic Islands. It is being held on 24 and 25 April, coinciding with the Palma International Boat Show. The event brings together around 300 superyacht professionals, experts and enthusiasts to discuss the future of the sector.
40th anniversary activities
Palma International Boat Show 2024 is organised by the Regional Ministry of Enterprise, Employment and Energy through the Balearic Islands Institute for Business Innovation (IDI) and the Balearic Yacht Brokers Association (BYBA).
The show began as a Floating Boat Show in Alcudia in 1983 with local companies and gradually functioned as a gateway for international firms that decided to establish themselves on the island. Public-private collaboration has been one of the pillars of the Palma International Boat Show’s growth over the last four decades.
Organisers will award the Marcial Sánchez Barcaiztegui Prize to the company Comercial Morey, which has participated in all the editions of the show. In addition, tribute will be paid to Alcudiamar and the Alcudia Town Hall, which hosted the first edition of the event.
On 26 April 2024, the fairgrounds will host a series of activities to celebrate the 40th anniversary with visitors and exhibitors. From 6pm-8pm, the public at the fair will be able to enjoy music and entertainment groups. From 8pm onwards, a drone show will be visible from different parts of the city.
Economic impact
The marine industry is important for the economy of the Balearic Islands. According to data from the Balearic Marine Cluster, the Balearic marine sector currently has 879 companies dedicated exclusively to recreational boating, which generates a turnover of €1.1bn. In addition, the sector is responsible for 5,145 jobs.
The Balearic Islands are one of the top superyacht hotspots in the Mediterranean. In 2023, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos took his 127-metre Oceanco superyacht Koru on its maiden voyage to Palma.
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