Marina capacity problem in Turkey: Yacht owners are shifting to rival countries

Insufficient Marina Capacity Increased Prices, Yacht Owners Turned to Alternative Countries

Speaking at the press conference held by YATED’s new board members, YATED President Murat Bekiroğlu pointed out that increasing boat and yacht mooring prices put pressure on owners and said, “The biggest threat to the boat and yacht industry is the lack of capacity in marinas and the resulting rising prices.” he said. Bekiroğlu stated that the current number of marinas in Turkey is around 25-30 and the total mooring capacity is approximately 6 thousand 500, and emphasized that the capacity should be increased rapidly by at least 50 percent. He also added that new marina investments should be made on treasury lands, not on Turkey’s coastal areas, and that the private sector and investors need incentives and supports in this regard. Bekiroğlu stated that with new investments, the supply-demand balance will be achieved and the country will earn more foreign currency.

Rising Marina Prices Damages Turkey’s Competitiveness

Bekiroğlu also compared the marina prices of Turkey and rival countries and said: “In Monaco, the center of France, the daily mooring price of a 42-meter boat in high season is 650 Euros, while when the same boat comes to Göcek, 1,200 Euros are requested for a day. He stated that compared to marinas in countries such as Greece, Italy and Croatia, marinas in Turkey offer services at much higher prices.

Capacity Problem Must Be Solved Urgently

Bekiroğlu stated that in Bodrum, Turkey, you can rent a marina area by paying 700 Euros per day, but in Greece, there are places where you can stay for 35 Euros per day. Bekiroğlu said that relevant ministries should determine pilot areas in the regions starting from Antalya to Istanbul and that studies should be started to make marina investments in these regions. He emphasized that countries such as Greece have much more binding capacity than Turkey.

In addition, Bekiroğlu stated that due to the high prices in marinas, boats and yachts started to stay in the bays for longer periods of time and this caused serious environmental pollution. Bekiroğlu said that Göcek bays were affected by this situation and especially in the bays where large boats of 20 meters and above normally stay for a few weeks to swim, the whole year. He stated that they started to stay. He said that this situation causes pollution of the bays and is a significant threat to the sector. For this reason, he stated that, as YATED, they are working to commission a large capacity cleaning boat and that they plan to launch and use one such boat every year.