Internautica Showcases over 200 New Boats
The 11th international boat show Internautica opened in the seaside resort of Portoroz on Tuesday. The show's main attraction is some 200 vessels, including super-yachts that are over 26 metres long.
The organisers expect that several world premieres will attract the most attention, among them the Elan 340, Dominator 62S, Bavaria 33 Cruiser, Alaska 45, Oceanis 50 and Atlantis 39 boats.
In addition to the attention-grabbing yachts, over 200 exhibitors from Slovenia and abroad are also presenting dingies, jet-skis, engines, canoes, clothing and navigation equipment.
The show opened with an address by Transport Minister Janez Bozic, who said that nautical tourism was a great opportunity for Slovenia that needs to be accommodated in the national tourism strategy.
He also pointed out that the number of boats registered at the Maritime Directorate increased by 500 in the whole of 2005 and by as much as 850 so far this year.
According to Bozic, the resulting increased traffic calls for additional safety measures, which the ministry would try to enforce in cooperation with Italy and Croatia in order to facilitate navigation and improve safety.
This year's event will also host a meeting of old boats, Oldtimer 2006, while the Nokia Cup sailing regatta will take place on 12 and 13 May.
At the end of Internautica, which closes on 14 May, the visitors and the jury will also select the "Best Boat of the Year" and the "Slovenian Boat of the Year".
More articles from this issue:
Archive
|