Luxury Yacht Industry Booming

Reflecting continued optimism in the face of a rapidly changing global and political climate, new orders for luxury yachts grew 7.9 percent compared with year-earlier figures. The increase was spurred primarily by orders for motor yacht projects of 80 to 119 ft. (24 to 36 m), as well as those 150 ft. and larger. Italy retained its position as the world's leading luxury yacht-building nation, with 260 units and 29,804 linear feet of boats. The United States again placed second, with 85 units accounting for 10,621 linear feet. The Netherlands and the United Kingdom retained third and fourth place, respectively, while Germany surged to fifth.