Following nine consecutive days of hectic activity, this year’s 32nd edition of the International Istanbul Boat Show came to its end on September 29th. Overall assessment of the event, organized by NTSR Exhibition Company, is very positive, especially considering that the second weekend of programming overlapped with the Monaco Yacht Show, one of the World’s most significant events of the boating industry.

Entrance to the 32nd edition of the International Istanbul Boat Show

The Istanbul Boat Show brought an overall number of 33,090 visitors from over 40 different countries to Marintürk Istanbul City Port, along the shores of the Sea of Marmara, where the event was held. The 150,000 square-foot exhibition, both indoor and outdoor, have hosted 300 exhibitors representing over 650 Turkish and international brands. The boats on display, located both on land and afloat, were over 240: mega yachts, motor yachts, sailing yachts and catamarans, ranging 3 to 70 metres, for a total estimated value of 1 billion U.S. dollars.

Being the biggest event related to the boating industry for as much as 32 years in Turkey, the Istanbul Boat Show has been supporting many kinds of water sports and social activities: sailing regattas, diving and scuba diving, off-shore racing and more.

Istanbul Boat Show 2013

Thanks to the strong cooperation with TURMEPA, a pioneer NGO devoted to the protection of biodiversity of seas, the Istanbul Boat Show is known not only for being a sea-passionate event, but pays importance to sea-cleaning and environment alike. The said cooperation has gained a big deal of attention from the Istanbul Boat Show attendees.

Despite the numerical predominance of motor yachts, has aroused considerable curiosity the small Ness-yawl ‘Clodia’ – just 6.20 meters of overall length – owned by Giacomo De Stefano, the environmentalist known for having sailed and rowed this tiny wooden boat across the 5,400 kilometres that separate London from Istanbul.

Istanbul Boat Show 2013 by night

Inevitably, larger yachts present at the Boat Show caught most of the attention of the visitors and of local and international media: giants built at shipyards like Mengi-Yay, Merlin Yachts and Su Marine. Besides, the water sports activity area offered the opportunity to provide basic information and practice of several activities at sea: windsurfing, sailing, kiteboarding and rowing. The fishing enthusiasts had the chance to experience their favourite sport on a simulator which uses the latest technologies. The most successful ones were awarded by the sponsor Ince Çizgi.

The next edition of the International Istanbul Boat Show – during which a 30% increase in turnover is expected – will be held in late September 2014. However, the 33rd International Istanbul Boat Show will be preceded by the yacht and brokerage Istanbul Boat Show between April 30th and May 4th, 2014. The venue chosen by NTSR for this event is the Golden Horn Congress Centre, located in the very heart of old Istanbul, in the natural harbour that sheltered the Ottoman navy for almost five centuries.