Marina Dock Age, January/February 2003

Proving the Economic Importance of Marinas
Benefits Facilities WorIdwide
by Ron Stone

The International Council of Marine Industry Associations’ Marinas Committee Meets to Discuss This and Other Significant Issues

With all the purchasing power of a crowd of boaters in the high season, it’s no stretch to say that marinas can work wonders for a local economy. Not only do they provide jobs and income to their immediate waterfront communities, but they can also be a great boon to a region’s tourism.

For marina owners and operators, this is a message that begs to be heard by policy-makers, and one that must be voiced more clearly by the industry. As such, it was high on the agenda when the Marina Committee of the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) held their annual meeting last September in Berlin.

The meeting was a truly global gathering, with representatives of national marina associations from all over the world, including Japan, Australia, Belgium, and Turkey, among others.

In addition to focusing on the economic impact of marinas, the committee also discussed its continuing work toward a universal rating system for marinas, possible strategies to improve the image of marinas, and plans for the next ICOMIA International Marina Conference to be held in January 2005.

Documenting the Economic Importance of Marinas

To support marina development projects, it’s helpful, if not critical, to prove with hard numbers how marinas contribute significantly to the local economies. From increased tax revenues, to job creation, to added business for local restaurants, shops, and tourist attractions, there are few aspects of an economy that don’t benefit from the presence of a successful marina. And, in some extreme cases, what have seemed to be hopeless, blighted waterfront areas have been revitalized by the introduction of a marina.  

While such economic benefits may be apparent to even the untrained eye, ICOMlA’s Marina Committee reported some numbers furnished by its constituents that might surprise even those in the industry. And the good news for the industry is that all the numbers illustrate the solid economic contributions marinas can make.   Continue »