Facing new challenges, the charter industry sees a 2024 where new geographic stakes and customer loyalty seem key. 2023 marked ups and downs for the yacht charter industry. Despite the upward trend since the pandemic, oversupply in some destinations and rising costs urge caution. Companies such as BeCharter and Islazul Formentera share their innovative strategies to stand out in a competitive landscape.

In this context, industry experts look cautiously towards 2024, also considering it as an opportunity.

Matías Miranda, representative of AndroNautic, a company specialising in digitalisation for day and week charter companies whose system handled 101,800 bookings in 2023, highlights the continued growth of the charter industry, with 2,057 new registrations last year according to ANEN's annual report

"The fact that there are no more registrations compared to the previous year is seen as negative. For us it represents a normalisation in a sector that continues to show sustained growth and the creation of new companies," stresses Miranda.

Charter companies are adopting different strategies in the face of this scenario. Oriol Badia, commercial manager of BeCharter, emphasises understanding the needs of the client. The company has introduced three new catamarans at its base in Palma in response to the growing demand for their comfort for family holidays and less sporty sailing.

Badia underlines the importance of innovation, exemplified by the opening of a base in Denia with two catamarans, taking advantage of the Costa Blanca's offer and the relatively less competitive market.

"In response to the limited availability of berths, we have introduced significant innovations to our sales strategy. We implemented an ownership program, giving new owners the opportunity to leave their boat in BeCharter's management for charter. This allows them to reduce costs and even enjoy other boats with the app developed in conjunction with AndroNautic. For us, it allows us to increase our offer and consolidate our position," explains Badia.

For Day Charter specialists Aurelio and David López of Islazul Formentera, the diagnostic is similar. After COVID, they consolidated their position by acquiring operations and expanding their base. "We are now focusing on fleet renewal and continuous improvement of our complementary services and customer experience. The result was a record-season with near full occupancy on our 32 boats in July and August".

They recommend start-ups to look for a service that differentiates them from the current ones. Making a name for yourself in the industry is a long-distance race and you have to have the financial backbone to withstand a low-budget start-up season.

Miranda destaca la importancia de contar con herramientas para ser flexibles durante la temporada, centrándose en que los armadores puedan ofrecer el servicio más demandado en cada mes y responder rápidamente a cambios, tanto en su canal directo como es el sitio web, como a través de plataformas y agencias.

AndroNautic es una empresa Mallorquina, con 10 años aportando a la digitalización de las empresas en la náutica de recreo. En la actualidad cuenta con alrededor de 100 clientes en Europa y América, que representan segmentos de la industria tales como el charter semanal, Day charter, las actividades náuticas, barcos golondrinas, clubes de navegación, brokers náuticos y agencias DMC.