MYBA The Worldwide Yachting Association announced on Tuesday its intention to award the position of host of the 2017 Charter Show to Barcelona and OneOcean Port Vell. The show will run from 24-26 April 2017. The location was shortlisted alongside Mediterranean superyacht hub Nice and previous host Genoa.

Fiona Maureso, MYBA President, said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank Pesto Sea Group and the city of Genoa for having hosted the MYBA Charter Show so successfully over the past 16 years. We are naturally very excited about this opportunity to discover OOPV and the city of Barcelona but we will, of course, miss our friends in Italy.”

Barcelona’s new superyacht marina, which will be officially completed in August this year, opened at the end of 2014 following an €80 million investment, and boasts 68 berths ranging from 22m-190m. The show will be held over four locations, Spanish Quay, Barceloneta Quay, Deposit Quay and Sota Muralla Quay. Only 25 minutes’ drive from Barcelona International Airport, location was also a deciding factor in the vote to change the location of the Charter Show.

James Graham-Cloete, Chair of the MYBA Charter Shows Panel, said: “The decision to award the MYBA Charter Show to Barcelona was the result of a comprehensive survey across our members and the previous attendees of the Show, followed by an in depth review of the myriad of factors which contribute to the overall success of the Show, both financially and from the perspective of all attendees. From the short-list of venues, OneOcean Port Vell came out on top. Furthermore, MYBA hope that bringing the Show to Barcelona, will further speed up and enhance any progress in opening up the charter market & regulations in these attractive cruising grounds.”

Barcelona is also proving to be a good base from which to explore the cruising grounds of the Spanish coastline. With the rejuvenation of the marina comes a redevelopment of the area and opening of new bars and restaurants, including the OneOcean Club and OneOcean Bar.

Paul Cook, General Manager of OneOcean Port Vell, said: “It is a great honour for OneOcean Port Vell to be appointed as host of the prestigious MYBA Charter Show from 2017 and we would like to thank MYBA for their confidence in us. Barcelona is one of the world’s leading cities and with OOPV, it is now a prominent superyacht destination with unrivalled marina facilities and infrastructure. This, combined with the easing of legislation on Spanish charters, which has had a positive impact on the demand for chartering and cruising in the region, ensures that OOPV and MYBA are optimally positioned to deliver the next evolution of this event in 2017 and beyond.”