This year’s 30th annual Palm Beach International Boat Show will open its doors this week, taking place along the waterfront facing posh Palm Beach Island, a lovely Florida yacht charter destination from March 26 to 29, 2015. The event annually attracts serious buyers and sellers of the yachting lifestyle from all over the world to the most prominent winter residence for the wealthy. As cold weather continues to grip the rest of the nation, yachting enthusiasts will once again have a unique possibility to enjoy sunny Palm Beach and a beautiful display of yachts for sale and superyacht charter.
Recognized as one of the most significant annual international yacht shows, the four-day event features more than $1 billion worth of yachts, boats and accessories from the world’s leading marine manufacturers, including hundreds of boats ranging from yacht tenders, center consoles and cruisers to fishing boats and 200- foot superyachts.
Superyacht sales in January were stronger than start-of-year sales for the past six years, with strong sales figures for new orders of superyachts, according to Boat International Market Intelligence, a recognized source of information on the superyacht industry. The largest yacht in this year’s Palm Beach show, the 200-foot motor yacht Aurora (ex Phoenix), on display with Moran Yacht & Ship, has an asking price of almost $53 million USD (almost $50 million EUR).
In addition to attracting wealthy buyers from around the world, the Palm Beach International Boat Show is renowned for catering to clientele who prefer the glamor and convenience of luxury yacht charters, which may cost as much as several hundred thousand dollars per week. It is not unheard of for these modern luxury charters, designed with lavish interiors to sleep up to 12 guests, to have a helipad, swimming pool, movie theater, gym, and expensive artwork. They typically cruise the Caribbean in the winter and the Mediterranean in the summer.
For all watersport and outdoor enthusiasts, whether or not they are in the market for a boat, this year’s show features live paddleboard, kayak and stand-up-paddleboard yoga demonstrations in a 15,000 gallon freshwater pool known as the AquaZone; IGFA School of Sportfishing seminars; youth fishing clinics by non-profit Hook The Future; and swimwear fashion shows by the Lands’ End Getaway Tour.
The show serves as the annual anchor event for the thriving Palm Beach County marine industry. According to a 2014 recreational marine industry economic impact study, Palm Beach County’s marine industry had an estimated impact of more than $1.8 billion in gross output including $682 million in wages and earnings and an associated 18,220 jobs, up from 8,931 jobs in 2010. In 2013, Palm Beach County had 36,852 registered boats.
The Palm Beach International Boat Show is owned and sponsored by the Marine Industries Association of Palm Beach County, Inc., managed and produced by Show Management, presented by Palm Harbor Marina and co-sponsored by Gosling’s Rum, Yachts International Magazine, Smallwoods Yachtwear, GEICO, Budweiser, Land’s End, the Palm Beach Post and Palm Beach Daily News.
Ticket prices are $20 at the gate and $18 online for adults; $10 at the gate and $8 online for children 6 to 15; children under 6 are free.
