Waterfront leisure looks buoyant at Ipswich

Associated British Ports (ABP), the UK’s leading ports group, has seen strong growth in the waterfront leisure sector at its Ipswich Marina and the market is looking buoyant for 2022.

Leisure craft use at ABP’s Ipswich Marina was up 42% in 2021 compared to 2020 and year to date figures show a similar story. Lock traffic movements for January 2022 were up by 231% compared to the same period last year with a large percentage attributed to leisure crafting. This number of lock transits has not been seen at Ipswich since 2016 which shows real confidence in the market.

Roger Goldsmith, ABP’s newly appointed Marina Manager for East Anglia said:

“We are seeing that people are really enjoying being back on the water and after coming out of lockdown, there has been a keen uptake in boating activities. People want to take advantage of Britain’s wonderful coastline and are revaluating their free time. The marina here at Ipswich is so central, it allows town dwellers immediate access to the water and the well-being benefits of leisure crafting.”

ABP’s Ipswich Marina has also seen an increase in the number of boats it berths and new berthing enquiries as boat sales have increased across the UK.

Neil Genn-Bromley, General Manager at Burton Waters Boat Sales said:

“The boat sales market has seen a sharp rise in demand throughout 2021 and it is showing signs it will grow further during 2022. We are finding boat sales incredibly active with many selling before even hitting the market.  The industry has been short of new boaters for some time, and we are really pleased to see many first-time boaters dipping their toe in and thoroughly enjoying boating.”

“Here in Ipswich, we are very lucky have some truly stunning rivers and cruising areas which have been large factors in the demand for berthing here. Ipswich Haven Marina is a sheltered, well-located marina with excellent access to Ipswich Waterfront and the town, so I can understand why a lot of our customers choose to remain here.  It is great to see so many enjoying the water as well as the positive effects on the town and industry.”

For more information on ABP’s marinas visit: https://www.abports.co.uk/services/marinas/.