Things here at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show are, as expected, a little slow. The docks during yesterday’s “preview day” were thin on media and vendor staff, a result of companies reducing travel expenses during the continuing recession.
Still, boatbuilders are looking for silver linings in the clouds. Italian motoryacht builder Sanlorenzo is a perfect example. Yesterday, the company announced that it has lost only 6 percent of its business–admittedly a good showing at a time when many other companies are seeing double-digit downturns.
What caught my attention most, though, was the builder’s assertion that the global recession will result in an “epoch-making change in habits and lifestyles,” and “no return to the old habits of the pre-crisis years.” In other words, the days of lavish spending on yachts are as good as over.
This, as part of a “good news” press release about a minimal revenue decline on the first day of one of the world’s premier boat shows.
Stay tuned for more from the docks tomorrow.
