Marina di Stabia is a modern marina offering top-quality services and hospitality. It served as the venue for the first Napoli Boat Show and its success. We spoke with Luigi La Mura, CEO of Marina di Stabia.
The occasion to meet Luigi La Mura, CEO of Marina di Stabia, was the first edition of the NBS, the Naples Boat Show. There, we first discovered that what was supposed to be a “zero edition”—a pilot event to gauge whether a true boat show in the Gulf of Naples was feasible—actually proved to be a remarkably successful event. Of course, there is still room for growth, and only future editions will truly reveal its future, but two certainties have been confirmed: first, the Gulf of Naples has incredible nautical potential; second, Marina di Stabia stands out in this region as a unique, exemplary, and visionary example due to its quality and scale. It was precisely the high standards of hospitality at this marina that served as the starting point for the success of the Naples Boat Show. We spoke with Salvatore La Mura about this and much more.
Marina di Stabia: a unique case in these parts…
It all began at the hands of a visionary: what we see today was realized starting from an idea my father had thirty years ago. He was—he passed away last year—a lover of the sea and a “small-boat enthusiast”; in 1982, we had bought a 7.20-meter boat. He realized that in the Gulf of Naples, one of the most beautiful and attractive places in the world, there was no marina worthy of the name and that there was a real need for one.
What were the cornerstones of this vision?
In a challenging context like this area’s, he understood that it was necessary to create something as welcoming as possible, to provide the best, starting with the services. Unfortunately, we had to contend with the area’s bad reputation. So, for example, we installed moorings with gangways for every berth, even for small boats. And then plenty of space to move and maneuver. Everything had to be easy. And even from a design perspective, we immediately focused on plenty of greenery within the marina and a high-end aesthetic. I always say that when you enter here, it feels like being in a port on the French Riviera; you enter a setting very different from what’s around it.
You proved it could be done…
I would have preferred my challenge to be purely professional; I started out as a lawyer—my father was an accountant—but then I ended up dealing mainly with numbers. I drew up the marina’s business plans myself. Unfortunately, the lack of entrepreneurs in the area led us to transform ourselves, so we started as professionals, became builders—which is a different trade—and continued as operators, which is yet another trade. So I always say, we’re a bit of a “slash/slash/slash”…
Speaking of numbers, do they add up? Are they positive?
Everything, from the very beginning, made sense. In ’98, the project was approved by the Services Conference, and since a roughly 25% government contribution was also planned, we also needed the opinion of the European Commission on competition—at the time, the Commissioner was Mario Monti. So the numbers technically added up. The port was inaugurated in 2007 and became fully operational in 2009–2010, right after Lehman Brothers and the great crisis. The worst possible timing, so the numbers originally projected for the first ten years weren’t what the market actually experienced.
Many in the boating world didn’t make it.
The bank debt we had taken on to make the investment in the first ten years was more or less frozen, in the sense that we were paying interest but had absolutely no ability to repay the principal. So there was an initial debt restructuring in 2014 to accelerate debt repayment. Then, little by little, things started moving again; by 2019, the numbers were back on track and sustainable. And then Covid hit…
So much fear, a tragedy. But for the boating industry, it was almost a blessing…
Yes, that’s true. At the time, I thought that would be the final blow for us, but instead, everything picked up again.
No one back then had predicted that such a crisis would bring such positive results for the boating industry.
It’s true, though, and I often remember this: a longtime Stabiese operator told me even back then that he could only recall the same atmosphere of boating euphoria after the 1980 earthquake. And my father had bought his boat in 1982. It all makes sense. There is clearly a correlation between a catastrophic event and people’s desire to go boating
Either I have fun now, or I’ll never have fun again…
Exactly, the boating industry has always been very cyclical. Right now we’re definitely in the “good” phase; we have waiting lists for all sizes—currently, from 6 meters to 40 meters, we have no availability. In the 20–40-meter range, we currently have about three times as much demand as we can supply.
Good news for you, but also for the entire area.
I believe that today the Gulf of Naples could easily meet twice the demand it is currently capable of handling. The numbers say so.
The standard question at this point: the America’s Cup effect?
There are already some signs. I recently had a meeting with BWA Yachting, which is the Official Superyacht Programme Delivery Partner for the America’s Cup; they want to create a comprehensive offering of berths in the Gulf of Naples for superyachts. The example is Barcelona, which during the last edition of the America’s Cup recorded a demand for moorings from more than 300 superyachts.
The crises, a “complicated” area—there have been many difficulties. What was the magic word? How did you do it?
Resilience, definitely. The ability not to stop in the face of obstacles. I think anyone else, faced with yet another difficulty, would have thrown in the towel. My father, from Stabiese, with a political background as mayor of Castellammare and regional councilor until 1995, was able to combine entrepreneurship, his professionalism, and politics. His determination in the face of every obstacle, let’s say, won the day.
And for the future, is the approach the same?
For the future, the approach is certainly the same. I don’t have his skills, I don’t have his determination, but we have his vision. Politics did not allow him to complete the project, which is to redevelop the properties and structures immediately behind the marina, for which a project is currently underway. This is the next goal. In 2008, everything came to a halt. Now, however, we have resumed dialogue with the local authorities. There is a project for which we are awaiting the final opinion of the ZES regarding the conversion of these industrial spaces, and so we hope to obtain the authorization that will trigger the final redevelopment.
This exhibition, the NBS, a success beyond expectations in its “zero” edition, also demonstrates that this area deserves to be better promoted.
This is something I often say.
I am convinced that two more marinas in the Gulf of Naples would not undermine competition but would fuel the flow of superyachts—the demand. That said, I also believe that Naples, as the main city, should have the best marina, yet its recreational facilities are not comparable to Marina di Stabia. This is not good for the image of Naples and, above all, does not offer the opportunity to develop true boat shows on the water.
The potential of this nautical basin is enormous. But in your opinion, what is the area where we should invest the most?
It should be developed further specifically with megayachts in mind. For them, the highlight of the season traditionally begins before the Monaco Grand Prix and ends after the Monte Carlo Boat Show. So from May to October—a boating season of no less than 7–8 months.
The best months to visit one of the most beautiful areas in the world, not far away…
In a week-long cruise, you have at least ten wonderful nautical destinations—something only the Gulf of Naples allows. Many other areas famous for yachting don’t have this wealth of options, but they have more facilities.
Luca Sordelli
