#TRADE NEWS - Growing demand in the Middle East for pre-owned boats is creating a new market for yacht owners looking to sell, as UAE's The National reports.
This weekend's second-hand boat trade show at Dubai Creek Marina is expecting more than 7,000 visitors to peruse the more than 85 vessels on display, comprising the widest selection of boats for sale.
For this year the retail area has been expanded by 20% to make room for new retailers and exhibitors, including a new zone for personal water craft such as Jet Skis.
"There is a lot more demand [in the Middle East] for second-hand boats than new boats. The market has been growing, we have a lot of people from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain who come to Dubai to buy a boat," said marina operations manager Abdulla Ali Al Noon.
It's a market that's being increasingly sought by Irish dealers, too, following MGM Boats' visit to the UAE for the Dubai International Boat Show this past St Patrick's weekend.
One of the companies participating in the pre-owned show this year is Al Marakeb Boat Manufacturing, whose Nour Al Sayyed says: "The crowd at the show are people who already know they're buying a boat, it's just a matter of picking one."
The National has more on the story HERE.
