Staff Report

Guests and VIPs celebrated the official opening of the Italian pavilion at the 27th edition of the Dubai International Boat Show, which concluded this month at the Dubai Canal, Jumeirah.

The pavilion was opened by Valentina Setta, Consul General of Italy in Dubai and Gianpaolo Bruno, Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE, Oman and Pakistan yesterday afternoon and was followed by a cocktail reception at the exhibition’s Blaze bar.

Gianpaolo Bruno, Italian Trade Commissioner to the UAE, Oman and Pakistan said, “In 2018, Italy exported Euro 34 million worth of superyachts, boats, motorboats, ships, rowing boats and canoes to the UAE, making it the largest exporter of marine products to the UAE. This is an increase of over 111 per cent compared to 2017, when Italy exported around Euro 16 million worth of marine products to the UAE, and shows how the industry in the Emirates is flourishing.

“In 2018, the UAE’s marine industry was valued at around Euro 58 billion (USD 66 billion), with the leisure boating sector making up around Euro 1.3 billion (USD 1.5 billion) of this figure. The UAE boating sector is still an emerging market and it can offer great business opportunities to Italian companies who excel in design and technology, whilst offering high-quality products and services at competitive prices.”

The pavilion features the following 12 Italian specialised marine equipment suppliers and service providers who are being supported by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in cooperation with the Italian Marine Industry Association (UCINA) during the event: Ascom, Boat Lift, Boero Yachtcoatings, Fratelli Zucchini – Sealants and Adhesives, GFN Marine Equipment, IMET Wave Marine, Ingemar, Luxury Wood Italy, Marinedi, PMP, Creazioni Nautiche by Valeo, and Vapsint Gas Springs and Dampers. – abdulbasit@theuaenews.com