Yachts as Permanent Residences Challenge Marina Business
Using yachts docked in marinas as primary residences is a practice that needs to be eliminated to boost business at these facilities. Their profitability is already limited by a scarcity of available berths for potential customers. This is the position voiced this Monday by Marinas de España, an employers’ association representing 145 privately managed marinas, which sees this residential use as an additional obstacle to their potential business development.
A Unique Challenge for the Canary Islands
The president of Marinas de España, Tomás Azcárate, made these statements during a break at the Shipping Canary Islands conference in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. He highlighted that this is a unique conflict in the archipelago, particularly in the island capital, that barely exists in the rest of the country. He attributes it to intrinsic local circumstances, noting it is generally not a common phenomenon in Spain and specifically “has not occurred in marinas managed by private companies under a concession regime.”
Why Are Yachts Becoming Homes?
Azcárate suggested the reason could be that in the islands, there are areas dominated by publicly managed marinas. “I understand the issue has a lot to do with the rates charged,” he said. “Perhaps the fees are much lower, and that, in some way, incentivizes the practice.” This is less common elsewhere because, as he explained, “for example, in other places you can have a small boat for going out to sea, but not one large enough to live on, because the rates are relatively high enough that it doesn’t make financial sense” to use them as a home. In the case of the islands, different circumstances create environments where “in the end, certain structures or conditions can encourage or facilitate the phenomenon.”
Housing Crisis Versus Marina Development
Despite recognizing that the housing shortage “is a serious problem that needs a solution,” Azcárate insisted it cannot end up harming marinas by further limiting the few berths they have. He emphasized that while it is a difficult issue, as people need a place to live, the housing shortage “has its own specific causes and must be resolved through other avenues.” He concluded firmly, “What cannot happen is that it ends up affecting the few berths we have and stifling the potential development of maritime and tourism businesses and activities.”
