Local nautical sector is second largest in Spain

The improvement of the nation’s economy and consumer confidence has been witnessed in the country’s nautical sector. During the first half of this year, 3,099 recreational vessels were registered, 13 percent or 357 more than last year, with Catalonia leading the revival followed by the Balearics which enjoys a 16 percent share of the overall market. The secretary general of Anen, the National Association of Nautical Businesses, Carlos Sanlorenzo, said that the figures clearly demonstrate that the nautical sector is recovering. “It’s been a slow recovery and we’ve taken much longer to climb out of the crisis than other sectors.” What is encouraging is that 35 percent of new vessels have been bought for charter. The nautical industry has been hampered by taxes, such as the discriminatory matriculation that has been scrapped, and other hurdles. Sanlorenzo repeated the industry’s calculus for motor tax breaks and incentives from the government in order to maintain this upward trend.