20,000 buyers expected at South Asia’s largest boat show

By Cassandra Mascarenhas

Expected to attract over 20,000 buyers this time around, Boat Show Sri Lanka 2012, South Asia’s largest international boat show, will commence on 18 May for the third consecutive time, organisers said on Tuesday.

From left: LECS Director Imran Hassan, Ministry of Industry and Commerce Additional Secretary — Policy Development Asitha K.Seneviratna, Sri Lanka Export Development Board Chairman and Janaka Ratnayake, Boat Building Technology Improvement Institute Lanka Chairman Neil Fernando and Boat Building Technology Improvement Institute Lanka Managing Director Gamini Herath – Pic by Daminda Harsha Perera

The show, which will be staged at the Sirimavo Bandaranaike Memorial Exhibition Centre, will play a vital role in furthering the expansion of the boating industry which has been earmarked as a sector of high growth, estimated to reach a value of half a million dollars by 2015.

Boat Show Sri Lanka 2012 will feature around 40 exhibitors and is set to bring in new dimensions of boating activity to the leisure and adventure-hungry Sri Lankan market by showcasing modern technologies and methods which would in turn boost the booming tourism industry. This will be introduced to the Sri Lankan public through boat manufacturers, accessory suppliers, service providers and a host of other related sub-industries.

“We staged a very successful Expo 2012, which attracted over 1,000 serious buyers of which nearly 30 were serious visitors from 17 different countries interested specifically in the boat industry in Sri Lanka. Expo also gave a chance for Sri Lankan boat builders to exhibit their new boat designs and now with Boat Show 2012, we are trying to market it internationally,” stated Export Development Board Chairman Janaka Ratnayake at the official launch of the event held on Tuesday.

The boating industry experienced slow growth in 2010 with revenues of just US$ 59 million but picked up in the following year, recording a growth rate of over 150 per cent by posting revenues of US$ 149 million. The three-day event for the first time will also feature a boating conference this year which will be held on 19 May and will host a line-up of esteemed international speakers to address the gathering.

Boat Building Technology Improvement Institute Managing Director Gamini Herath asserted that the Boat Show would serve a dual purpose – to generate the expansion of export earnings and the expansion of the local boating industry itself.

“Over the past 30 years we have not had any growth in the local market and this year we will be concentrating more on the expansion of the local market and the promotion of investment in new areas. We are also aiming for the promotion of investment in marina development as no country can develop their boat industry without marinas,” he explained, adding that China, one of the biggest exporters of boats, is looking to build 500 marinas by 2020.

Herath also assured that foreign investment entered the sector with several companies with interests in Sri Lanka’s boat industry coming into the country.

“We need to increase boating activities in the country by promoting leisure boating to catalyse the demand in the local market. The development of marinas is also a huge task for the Government as it is not and east thing that can be handled by the private sector alone but needs the support of the State,” said Herath.

He also noted that Sri Lankan boat builders compete with European builders, which shows the skill of the country’s builders in relation to highly sophisticated craft. However, he did admit that the industry is restricted by the lack of access to waterfronts, which are currently under State jurisdiction, as a result of which construction of larger vessels and steel construction cannot be undertaken.

The Boat Show has been organised by the Boat Building Technology Improvement Institute (BTI) in conjunction with its long time partner, the Lanka Exhibition and Conference Services, supported by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce together with the Sri Lanka Export Development Board. The show is expected to reach new heights this year and create a major step towards making Sri Lanka one of the most sought-out boating hubs in the region.