James Pleasance Event Director at the Informa Yacht Group has confirmed what most of the superyacht industry already knew that “The Abu Dhabi Yacht Show is not likely to take place this year.”
He does however suggest, “It will more than likely take place again in 2013.”
His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, opened last years show in March 2011 which was staged inside Yas Marina to disappointing attendance figures.
In 2010 visitor turnout had been low. Reasons for this were attributed to the sudden death of a senior Government Official, who died on the eve of the show. This meant the local Emirati population were then in 3 days of official mourning.
This made the opening dinner on the eve of the first day of the show was therefore a subdued affair and his death also affected the turn out at the show of the local population.
Visitors to the country were also surprised that because the anniversary of the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday was also on the opening day of the show, it meant that the hotels’ were dry for 24 hours!
The event in 2011 was marred by a low turnout of yachts brought about by political unease in the Middle East at that time and because many large yachts did not want to make the transit through waters infested with Somalian pirates. Just five of the twenty billed as attending actually made it
To add further misery sand storms threatened the already dwindling attendance levels on day three of both the 2010 and 2011 shows.
The Informa Group is also organises events such as the Monaco Yacht Show and the Superyacht Cup regatta which will take place in Palma, Mallorca from 20-23 June, but also for this year inly in Cowes, UK from 22-25 July in celebration of the London 2012 Olympics.
The Superyacht Cup Cowes will be one of, if not the biggest fleet of sailing superyachts over 30m/100ft seen in the UK.