Increase in demand for boats opens up fresh opportunities for Sri Lanka: EDB Chief

Trade Minister Bandula Gunawardena with the participation of EDB Chairman Suresh de Mel and a few officials, launching the Virtual Boat Show Sri Lanka 2021 at the EDB board room 

New opportunities are opening up for Sri Lanka’s boat building industry, as the demand for boats for fishing, industrial, commercial and leisure purposes worldwide, regionally and locally are on the rise, EDB Chairman Suresh de Mel said.

He stressed that Sri Lanka stands to benefit from the ongoing trend and must look at capturing the new markets that are emerging.

“High marine diversity of the country provides massive potential for the development of nautical tourism which directly benefits the boat building sector,” said de Mel addressing a virtual press conference held yesterday to announce the launch of the Boat Show Sri Lanka 2021.

He pointed out that it is imperative to take into account many other related activities such as yacht chartering, yacht parking, and water sports when promoting Sri Lanka’s boat building industry.

De Mel expressed confidence in the upcoming Boat Show Sri Lanka 2021 boosting the visibility of the local boat and ship building industry internationally while also positioning Sri Lanka as a quality sourcing destination for boat and ship building. 

The boat building industry has been identified by the EDB as a key product sector which contributes to achieving the national export targets of the country.  An export strategy for the same is currently being rolled out.

This year, Sri Lanka will host its first ever virtual boat show come October with the aim of providing a single platform for all related business sectors involved directly and indirectly in the boat and ship building industry to showcase their products and services. 

The EDB announced that the seventh edition of the Boat Show Sri Lanka 2021 will be held from 25 to 29 October 2021. 

The event will showcase Sri Lanka’s capabilities in recreational boating and yachting, nautical tourism, boat building and related services for export and local markets, the EDB said.

The biennial was last held in 2018 and the 2020 edition was postponed due to the outbreak of the pandemic.
The virtual event will also attract the youth towards boating with the demonstration of a number of water sports events such as; wakeboarding, water skiing, jet ski racing, windsurfing, catamaran and dinghy racing, try a boat event run by sailing clubs, fashion shows linked to a nautical theme, and fishing events.

Over 40 exhibitors, both local and international, are expected to participate at the event.

Since the launch of the Boat Show Sri Lanka event, the country has been successful in recording an average export turnover of US$ 80 million. The National Export Strategy (NES) aims to increase the total export revenue from the industry to US$ 500 million.