Dubai World Trade Centre has been closely monitoring the situation surrounding the COVID-19 virus, in the lead-up to the Dubai International Boat Show next week, and a decision has now been made to postpone until November 2020.

At the beginning of February, the Singapore Yacht Show was postponed until October 2020, due to the likely effect the Coronavirus would have had, and the health risks involved. Q4 is now set to be a very busy part of the superyacht industry’s calendar, further to the delay of two of the most significant boat shows, and the potential for more to be moved to depending on the duration of the epidemic.

‘Whilst the UAE remains completely safe for travel, and has deployed the strictest medical and hygiene protocols, we fully recognise that for some specific shows, we have a high majority of key participants significant to the event’s programme that are unable to travel due to restrictions in their home country,’ began the update from the Dubai World Trade Centre.

‘The Dubai International Boat Show will be postponed from 10-14 March to 24-28 November 2020 and will be located at its new home - Dubai Harbour, the region’s largest luxury marina and most advanced cruise terminal,’ it continued. ‘Our decision comes after much deliberation in consultation with the event’s main industry stakeholders and partners, who have strongly endorsed our prioritisation of the collective interests of both the global exhibitors and the key buyers from the region.’

Dubai International Boat Show will now coincide with the global event – Expo Dubai 2020 (20 October – 10 April) enabling even greater and more inclusive access for all. Commenting on the postponed event, Michael Breman – Sales Director at Lürssen, said, "November is a wonderful time for our global yachting business and the simultaneous organisation of Expo Dubai 2020 and Dubai Boat Show will co-create new opportunities and heighten interest in the region's leisure yachting lifestyle appeal.”

Gulf Craft, Dubai International Boat Show's largest exhibitor, and based in the Emirates, are pleased to hear that the boat show's new dates will coincide with the much-anticipated celebration [Expo Dubai 2020] in November. “Mobility and sustainability are key pillars of Expo and fit within our values as a business, and we believe it is a great opportunity for Gulf Craft to present our forward-thinking and future vision as one of the exemplary, international home-grown superyacht brands in UAE to thousands of new visitors eager to discover the great achievements and appeals of the region's leisure marine hub,” said Abeer Al Shaali - Acting CEO, Gulf Craft (UAE).

Update 3/3/20

The International Superyacht Summit, originally taking place from 11th – 12th March in Dubai under the patronage of P&O Marinas, and initiated and co-organised by Fabulous Yachts, has also been postponed to November 2020.

Tony Crabbe, CEO of Fabulous Yachts, said: “This was a tough call to make. The Summit is a very important event for us and has now established itself as one of the key events in the superyacht industry calendar. However, it would not be appropriate to have the Summit without many of our international colleagues in attendance.

“Our decision comes after much deliberation in consultation with the summit's sponsors, speakers and collaborators and we believe it reinforces our priority and commitment to deliver a successful and beneficial event for all parties involved.”

The International Superyacht Summit 2020 is, therefore, being postponed to 25 - 26 November 2020, at Bvlgari Yacht Club. The new date will also give the opportunity to all delegates, speakers and sponsors to visit the Dubai Expo 2020.

Image courtesy of www.boatshowdubai.com

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