Boat show attendance up on coasts, mixed in landlocked states
The rosy outlook for the economy and bottom-barrel gas prices had more buyers coming in the door looking to spend at boat shows, reports the National Marine Manufacturers Association.
The New York Boat Show, the Louisville Boat, RV & Sportshow, the San Francisco Boat Show all reported gains.
New York brought in 34,073 visitors, up 19 percent from last year. Louisville bumped up 4 percent to 35,065 attendees and San Francisco jumped 17 percent to 9,169 attendees.
Both the Minneapolis Boat Show and the Kansas City boat show reported roughly 8 percent declines to 33,643 and 20,241 visitors respectively.
Exhibitors at the Minneapolis boat show said that despite the dip in attendance, people are in the buying mood. Several dealers who spoke with Boating Industry reported double-digit sales gains over the 2014 show.
