NEW YORK, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- New technologies and products such as VR and WaterCar are among some of the eye-catching highlights of the ongoing 113th annual Progressive Insurance New York Boat Show at the Javits Center in Manhattan, New York.
Carrie Waible, spokesperson for the boat show, said the show exhibits more than 400 boats, featuring luxury motor yachts, sport fishers, performance boats, watersport boats and new marine technologies and accessories. She said that the boating industry in New York City is on a six-year rise in sales and participation, and innovation is the reason behind that growth.
One of the highlights of the show is the adoption of VR technologies in coaching, which brings vivid experience in the process of learning how to drive a boat.
Other key features of the show includes the Touch-a-Boat tour, which gives kids the opportunity to climb aboard an actual working fireboat from the NYFD and meet the firemen; and the showcasing of WaterCar, a vehicle that drives on land and on water.
According to the National Marine Manufacturers Association, with an estimated 11.9 million registered boats, the annual U.S. consumer spending on boats, marine products and services totaled 36 billion dollars in 2016, and are expected to have climbed 3 percent in 2017, to 37 billion. New York State ranked number 6 in the nation in sales of new powerboat, engine, trailer and accessories in 2016.
An estimated 8.5 million people have attended the New York Boat Show since its founding in 1905. This year the show opens from January 24th to 28th.
