Boats, marine and boating trends

Website listings will help increase marina visibility, encourage consumer boating participation

CHICAGO, Tuesday, March 20, 2007 - - The Association of Marina Industries (AMI) Board of Directors unanimously voted to endorse a plan aimed at increasing visibility and accessibility of marina information by featuring it more prominently on DiscoverBoating.com. Beginning this spring, all U.S. marinas will receive free basic listings on the website, with more detailed listings—including website links—available to facilities that contribute a minimum of $250 per location to the Grow Boating Initiative’s Rising Tide Fund.

More than 2.8 million visits to www.DiscoverBoating.com were recorded last year, and that number is expected to grow in 2007, the second year of the Discover Boating national advertising and marketing campaign. The website’s “Marinas and Launch Ramps” section is one of its most popular features, consistently ranking in the top three most visited pages.

“Having your marina listed on DiscoverBoating.com is a great way to draw attention to your facility and help contribute to our industry’s overall efforts to promote the boating lifestyle,” says Alex Laidlaw, AMI chairman and vice president of Westrec Marinas. “Pledging a minimum of $250 to the Rising Tide Fund is a small price to pay for the large universe of potential consumers the donation opens up.”

AMI is a non-profit membership organization providing management training, education and information about research, legislation and environmental issues affecting the marina industry.

The Grow Boating Initiative is an integrated effort among organizations with an interest in the recreational marine industry to promote the boating lifestyle and improve the boating experience. A strategic set of programs focusing on all areas of boating, including water access, dealer and product certification, marketing and research is designed to increase participation in boating and improve sales of marine products and services. For more information, visit www.GrowBoating.org

Source: National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA)