Seville Gathers Superyacht Captains to Position Itself as a Nautical Destination

The Port of Seville and Ocean Platform Marinas (OPM) Sevilla organized the 'Sevilla Captains' FAM Trip, the first event of its kind held in the city, which brought together a delegation of captains of international superyachts and megayachts with the aim of strengthening Seville's positioning as a destination for large-yacht nautical tourism.

The initiative, driven by the Port Authority of Seville and OPM Sevilla -one of the leading marina operators for large yachts in Spain, whose majority shareholder is Ocean Capital Partners-, allowed participants to spend three days getting to know the facilities and services of the marina at Muelle de las Delicias and to verify the possibility of sailing up the Guadalquivir to berth in the heart of the city. The event was supported by Seville City Council - NODO and Sevilla Feeling Land (Turismo de Sevilla), Acquera Yachting, Bodegas Fos, Casal, Abades and Guadaluxe.

The President of the Port Authority of Seville, Rafael Carmona, welcomed the delegation at the Cruise and Megayacht Terminal and highlighted the diversity of Seville's tourist attractions, from its cultural heritage -the Real Alcázar, the Cathedral and Itálica- to experiences linked to wineries and estates, in addition to the possibility of sailing along the Guadalquivir estuary. The City Council's Delegate for Tourism and Culture, Angie Moreno, noted that the arrival of superyacht captains represents an opportunity to showcase Seville's potential as a premium tourism destination and to consolidate the city's position in high-value tourism segments.

The participating captains are in charge of vessels ranging from 50 to 100 meters in length, which together total 473 meters. The involvement of these captains, who play a decisive role in choosing destinations and ports of call for superyachts, seeks to bring Seville into the future routes of their owners, taking advantage of the fact that it is the only city in Spain with an inland seaport connected to the Atlantic via the Guadalquivir.

Beatrice Rasmini, General Manager of OPM Sevilla, stated that captains are the ones who decide a superyacht's course and that the marina aims to show them the possibility of sailing up the Guadalquivir into the heart of the city. During their stay, the captains toured the Guadalquivir dock and took part in a cultural visit, a gastronomic experience, a wine tasting and a flamenco show. According to the sources, large-yacht tourism generates spending on mooring, provisioning, maintenance, dining, retail and culture, and its lower dependence on the high season offers a way to reduce the seasonality of the city's tourism activity.