Uber Boat, a new pleasure boat charter service that will be available from mid-June in Mykonos, has been created by Uber, which is identified with the provision of transport services by taxi or private cars. The American company, which announced the launch of a new service at a special event, has chosen the Island of the Winds to launch its new product. The high-income category that most of the island’s foreign visitors belong to, through which it is possible to travel to a large number of the Cyclades, seems to make the success of Uber’s new product certain. As it became known, with this new service it will be possible to rent up to eight passengers of the boat available through Uber Boat.

This new Uber product may be the first to launch globally in Mykonos, but online boat charter services are already available on the island, which received about 1.7 million visitors in 2022. For example, a French company currently offers on its website over 100 options for charter boats in Mykonos, with or without a skipper, that have no limits on the offered capacity.

The value of the charter boat market worldwide is estimated at 17 billion euros.

One of the largest American boat rental and nautical experience companies in the world has entered the battle to attract customers who prefer yachts for their travels by developing their own online application (app). It currently has over 60 listings covering a wide range of boat features.

For example, a charter of a fifteen-meter Majesty Flybridge, with the possibility of accommodating up to twelve people, with a captain and crew, costs 3,000 euros per day (excluding VAT and fuel costs). The cost of Pershing 70 with a crew and the ability to accommodate up to six passengers is 4800 euros per day. Since Uber has yet to provide details on how much the new service will charge, it remains unknown how much the fee will cost, as well as whether it will be competitive with existing services such as calling a taxi through the US company’s platform. vehicles (in countries where it is allowed). It remains to be seen if Uber Boat will be able to meet the increased demand for private boat trips to and from Mykonos. The only thing that can be said for sure is that the Tourlos marina can berth 222 boats, while the capacity of other marinas (including in hotel complexes) is limited to a few dozen.

The value of the boat rental market that Uber is entering is estimated at 17 billion euros in the world (2022 data), while analysts estimate that by 2028 it will exceed 23 billion euros. Accordingly, in the period 2023-2028. the average annual growth rate of this market is placed at the level of 5.4%. Yachting-based maritime tourism is flourishing all over the world, but in Greece it faces a lack of infrastructure and licensing delays.