More Boats, Tourism and Licenses: Spanish Nautical Sector Enjoys a Booming Summer

Spain's nautical sector is going through a period of growth, according to figures compiled ahead of the Barcelona Boat Show, which will take place from October 14 to 18 with more than 200 exhibitors. According to ANEN, 4,992 recreational boat registrations were recorded in 2025 (-0.9%), while between January and June 2026 registrations reached 3,105, up 11.2% on the same period of the previous year. The Sports Statistics Yearbook of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports shows that in 2025 more than 5.7 million boat-related trips were made, with an economic impact of 6.2 billion euros, 15% more than in 2024; around 80% corresponded to domestic tourism, while international tourism grew by 45%, surpassing one million trips and 1.6 billion euros. More than 57,000 nautical licenses were issued in 2025. Spain has 7,900 km of coastline, 375 marinas and 134,700 mooring points. Luis Conde, president of the show, highlighted the sector's strong momentum.