Last weekend’s Scotland Boat Show at Kip Marina brought in more than 13,000 visitors
The 2014 Scotland Boat Show enjoyed a 10% increase in visitors, with the grand total in excess of 13,000, it has been confirmed.
The three-day event at Kip Marina, which ran from 10-12 October, featured RIB and dinghy taster sessions in association with Seatech training and RYA Scotland, respectively.
Other attractions included fresh local produce, a range of classic cars and a flyboarding demonstration on the water.
Key exhibitors included Sunseeker Scotland, who brought a San Remo across from Loch Lomond, and Broom Boats, who travelled from Norfolk to make their Scotland Boat Show debut with the s5 Coupe and 30HT models on display.
Kip Marina brokerage Michael Schmidt & Partner reported that 80% of those who booked a viewing at the show were newcomers to the market.
And the first sale of the weekend was recorded at 10:30am on the Friday morning, when a Hanse 325 sailing yacht was sold for £90,000.
Show organiser Kevin Blamire told MBY that the local market for powerboats is on the rise: “We feel the powerboat market in Scotland is extremely vibrant and we will look to add further new boats for our 2015 show.”
He adds that 75% of exhibitors have already expressed an interest in attending the 2015 show, which will be expanded to include a fourth pavilion, dedicated to food and drink.
This year’s Scotland Boat Show was tied in with the Scotland Homecoming campaign, which celebrated a busy summer for Scottish tourism, with both the Commonwealth Games and the Ryder Cup hosted north of the border.
And Kevin believes that this had a positive impact on visitor numbers at the show, with visitors flocking from further afield than ever before, including a record Irish contingent.
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