Coomera, Queensland, Australia: The Australian marine industry is buzzing after the sensational success of the 2015 Gold Coast International Marine Expo at Coomera last month.

Organisers said the biggest Expo ever had provided the Australian marine industry with a much-needed economic boost of tens of millions of dollars that will continue to be measured for weeks and even months to come.

“We are absolutely humbled by the strong show of support from our visitors and exhibitors,” said Event & Marketing Manager Emma Milne.

“Everyone from luxury motor yacht owners, multihull and mono-hull sailors right through to trailer boat enthusiasts were all here in force … and I am sure we also inspired many more families to get out and enjoy the unique and rewarding boating life,” she said.

Two of the 3 Expo marinas – a massive showcase of on-water luxury.

“Expo is the boat show with so much more and real boaties just love it, with many diverse displays across over 50 hectares encompassing 4 key event sites and 3 marinas. We received rave reviews from visitors, of whom there were this year 17,024, reflecting an increase of 12 per cent for 2015. We can now confirm that 41 per cent of Expo visitors were from outside the Gold Coast, including interstate and international visitors.

“We’ve now got the world talking about the Gold Coast as a major marine destination with so much to see and do in May and that’s what we set out to do … to create a compelling reason to visit the Gold Coast.”

Ms Milne said visitors throughout the four days liked the relaxing, welcoming and fun Expo atmosphere, as well as the vast array of displays, demonstrations and attractions, the free parking at the gate and the free courtesy buses linking sites and parking.

“Those comments were and still are being echoed across social media,” she said.

And as for the dates:

“The May date change is for the long term and we remain committed to providing fair value, excellent access and a strong return on investment for our growing number of loyal visitors and exhibitors. We agree with the view that transport is an issue that must be addressed for the greater good of all stakeholders, especially our valued Expo visitors, and our doors and minds are always open toward ensuring the best-possible visitor experience for the decades to come.

“Expo’s vision is to create a truly international boating destination – one that is truly the best in Australia and truly comparable to the best anywhere in the world – one that attracts a growing number of interstate and international visitors. We genuinely believe that great things can be achieved when we all work together – for the common good – and our belief is validated by our record number of visitors, very impressive sales results for our Expo exhibitors, and also through extremely strong bookings with our accommodation partners.”

Riviera chairman and owner Rodney Longhurst said he was proud to report the sale of 12 new yachts following the marque’s largest-ever Australian showcase.

“The sales span our entire range of SUV, Sport Yacht and Flybridge collections – we even sold two new 67 Sport Motor Yachts – the pioneering new design of which preliminary details were only released on Friday of the Expo/Festival,” he said.

“The new Riviera luxury yachts will be built for owners right around Australia, and also Thailand, South Africa and the USA. That’s great news for our supply chain, our staff and it means more export revenue for Australia.”

• Expo’s 2016 dates are 19-22 May, and will again coincide with the Riviera Festival of Boating.