Recreational boating
Italy has established itself as one of the world's leading players in the recreational boating industry thanks to a unique combination of historical, geographical, cultural, and industrial strengths. This leadership position is not the result of fortunate circumstances, but the outcome of centuries of development that has successfully combined tradition with innovation, craftsmanship with industry, and aesthetics with technology.
A country of navigators
With more than 8,300 kilometres of coastline and a strategic location in the heart of the Mediterranean, Italy has a long-standing maritime tradition dating back to the Etruscans and the Romans, and later to the great Maritime Republics, such as Venice and Genoa.
Taken as a whole—from shipbuilding and the supply of electronic, textile, and mechanical components to downstream activities such as services, repairs, charter operations, and trade—Italy's recreational boating industry generated €13.09 billion in added value in 2024 and employed 167,864 people. Compared to 2021, the growth in added value was +20.2%, compared with a more modest increase in employment of +5.6%.
In 2024, the total turnover of the recreational boating industry reached €8.60 billion. The shipbuilding segment for new pleasure craft is the productive heart of the supply chain, with a total turnover that exceeded €5.58 billion in 2024 (+8.4% compared to 2023). Based on data updated in November 2025, Italy is the second-largest exporter of pleasure and sports craft, with almost a quarter (24.0%) of global exports.
Sources: ISPRA, Su 8.300 km di costa il 13% è occupato da opere artificiali (13% of Italy's 8,300 km of coastline is occupied by artificial structures); Fondazione Symbola, Geografie della filiera nautica italiana 2026 (Geographies of the Italian recreational boating supply chain 2026); Confindustria Nautica, La Nautica in Cifre – Analisi di mercato per l’anno 2024 (The Italian recreational boating industry in figures – Market analysis for 2024), 2024; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Statistiche relative all'interscambio commerciale italiano nel settore della nautica (Statistics on Italy's foreign trade in the recreational boating sector).
Main subsectors
The recreational boating industry encompasses the construction of new recreational vessels—including yachts, sailing boats, and inflatable boats—as well as refit, repair, and storage services, the manufacture of components and accessories, and engine production.The flagship segment is the superyacht market, where Italy holds the undisputed global leadership position.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Statistiche relative all'interscambio commerciale italiano nel settore della nautica ("Statistics on Italy's foreign trade in the recreational boating sector").
€4.16 BILLION
export value (November 2025)
Accessories and components
Refit, repair, and storage
Marine engines
Excellence and innovation
The excellence of Italy's recreational boating industry is reflected not only in the manufacturing expertise of its leading shipyards and the appeal of designs created by the industry's most renowned designers, but also in its innovative drive, fueled by high-tech solutions, advanced materials, electrification, and digitalization. A widespread industrial heritsge, often rooted in regional industrial districts, that makes a significant contribution to the global competitiveness of Italian products.
This capacity for innovation extends beyond the final product to encompass the entire production chain. In recent years, Italy's recreational boatbuilding industry has accelerated process innovation: five-axis milling centers, mobile welding robots, molds made from recycled materials, and digitalized supply chains are reshaping the country's manufacturing landscape.
Sources: Compositi Magazine, Compositi riciclabili per il settore della nautica (Recyclable composites for the recreational boating sector); ORDIS, Large scale demonstration of new circular economy value-chains based on the reuse of end-of-life fiber reinforced composites (FiberEUse).
Some areas of innovation and sustainability:
Materials science to improve performance
New sustainable propulsion: electric, hydrogen, biomethanol
Onboard digitalization, home automation systems, and sensor technologies
Recycling and circular economy practices in refit operations
Sustainable design
Local connections
The international success of Italy's recreational boating industry cannot be understood without considering the profound and structural role that the country plays in the supply chain, both in terms of production and culture.
The geographical configuration of the Peninsula, with more than 8,300 kilometers of coastline distributed between the Adriatic, Tyrrhenian, Ionian, and Ligurian seas, has for centuries been an enabling factor for the development of an economic ecosystem closely linked to the sea. This extensive coastline has fostered the emergence and growth of industrial districts that continue to form the backbone of the "Made in Italy" recreational boating industry.
Italy's recreational boating industry is also part of broader cultural ecosystems, where marine tourism, hospitality, dining, local craftsmanship, and regional cultural heritage coexist.
Sources: Confindustria Nautica, La Nautica in Cifre – Analisi di mercato per l'anno 2024 (The Italian recreational boating industry in figures – Market analysis for 2024)
Some of the regions most closely associated with the industry
Upper Mediterranean production hub
Stretching along the Tyrrhenian coast from Genoa to Livorno.
Adriatic District
It includes the provinces of Ravenna, Rimini, Forlì-Cesena, Pesaro-Urbino, and Ancona.
Lombardy recreational boating hub
Italy's leading region in terms of total added value generated by the broader recreational boating supply chain.
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