East Med multihull show reveals the charter catamaran market

What the East Med shows really tell you

The easiest way to read the charter catamaran market is to watch what brokers slow down for in Poros and Marmaris. The East Med Multihull Yacht Charter Show in Poros, now in its 22nd edition, ran from May 7-10, 2026, and the TYBA Yacht Charter Show ran from May 7-11, 2026 at Marmaris Muttas Marina in Marmaris, Turkey. Both are trade-only events, but they do more than put shiny boats under dock lights. They show where the charter business is actually putting its money, its inquiries and its repeat bookings.

That matters because the East Med Multihull show is built around multihulls and crewed yachts, with yacht viewings, seminars, culinary competitions, networking events and evening celebrations folded into the schedule. In other words, it is designed to let brokers compare the stuff that closes deals: how a catamaran lives at anchor, how the deck flows from cockpit to saloon, and whether the layout feels generous enough to justify the rate. TYBA adds the missing counterweight by widening the frame to motor yachts, sailing yachts and gulets, which is useful when you want to see how the Turkish market differs from the Greek one.

Why the 50-to-80-foot band keeps winning

The real sweet spot at the East Med multihull show is the 50-to-80-foot range. That is where a lot of the most sought-after charter cats sit, and it is also where the differences are subtle enough to matter commercially. Two boats can have similar length on paper and still feel completely different once you start counting the settee space, galley placement, cabin separation and how well the flybridge works for a family or a group of friends.

That is why this show is so useful for brokers. You are not just comparing lengths, you are comparing lifestyle packages, and in charter that is often what the guest is buying. A well-sorted 55-foot cat with a smart cockpit and decent privacy can outperform a larger boat with awkward circulation, especially when the client wants comfort without feeling like they are on a floating hotel corridor.

The broader market shift is obvious on the docks. Families, groups of friends and clients who prioritize space and comfort are increasingly choosing catamarans for charter, and the market has responded by leaning harder into volume, stability and usable outdoor space. That is the core charter sell now: more living area, shallower draft, easier social flow and less compromise between sailing and hanging out.

The brands that define the conversation

Lagoon stands out as especially prominent in the 55-to-80-foot segment, and that tracks with what many charter operators already know. Lagoon has become a default reference point for space-efficient charter cats, the kind of boats that are easy to explain to a client because the deck plan tends to be legible and the comfort proposition is obvious. That makes them a frequent benchmark on a dock full of competitors.

Sunreef sits in a different lane. Sunreef describes itself as a world-leading designer and manufacturer of luxury sailing and power multihulls, and it builds custom yachts from 60 to 200 feet. In charter terms, that positions the brand as the higher-end choice, where greater volume and a more refined onboard feel are part of the pitch rather than an afterthought.

The examples named around the show underline that spread. Christal Mio 80, Ad Astra, J Sparrow, Cartouche and Above & Beyond all signal the range of layouts and onboard lifestyles now in play. Some are about family-friendly openness, some about premium finishes, some about the feeling that the boat was designed to host rather than merely transport.

That distinction is where charter revenue is being made. Guests are increasingly paying for the idea of space that feels private, social and easy to use, and multihulls deliver that better than most monohulls in the same size band. If you are reading the show correctly, you are not asking which boat looks prettiest. You are asking which one will make a client say yes after the deck plan is explained in one minute.

Why Greece and Turkey keep pulling the market east

The Eastern Mediterranean is still the natural home for this type of charter business. Short passages, protected water and multiple island routes make the Saronic Gulf and the wider Greek charter market a near-perfect fit for multihull operations. A catamaran does not need rough water to justify itself, and in these cruising grounds the boat can do exactly what the market wants it to do: move easily between stops while keeping the whole group comfortable.

The scale numbers explain why the region matters so much. A March 2026 industry report said Greece led the global yacht charter market in 2025 with 3,030 vessels, ahead of Croatia, Italy, France and Turkey. Another market report said the East Mediterranean accounted for 60% of total bookings year-to-date in 2025. That is not a side market. That is the center of gravity for a large chunk of the charter calendar.

TYBA’s role in the picture is just as important. TYBA says the association was initiated in April 2017, and its members represent the majority of professionals in Turkey’s yacht brokerage, charter, construction and management sectors. That means the Marmaris show is not simply a local gathering. It is a read on how Turkish brokerage thinks, what it wants to place, and how it sees the season unfolding against the Greek benchmark.

What the docks say about size, inventory and demand

The recent history around both shows reinforces the same pattern. EMMYS 2025 took place in Poros from April 29 to May 2, and Vernicos Yachts said it presented nine catamarans and three motor yachts there. That ratio says a lot. Even at a mixed charter showcase, multihulls were the dominant story, not a side attraction.

TYBA’s own recent evolution points to a market that keeps scaling up. The 2025 TYBA Yacht Charter Show took place in Göcek from May 9-13, 2025, and was described as the sixth edition before the move to Marmaris in 2026. Broker coverage said that show welcomed more than 36 yachts between 24 and 56 metres, with the largest yacht being the 55.98-metre sailing yacht Yazz. That is a very different slice of the market from the Poros catamaran focus, but together they map the same business reality: brokers need to cover multiple segments, and they need to know where each one wins.

The practical takeaway from both shows is simple. The charter market is not chasing novelty for its own sake, it is chasing the boats that make guests feel they are getting more usable space, more comfort and more value for the money. In Poros, that means watching the 50-to-80-foot cats with a broker’s eye. In Marmaris, it means seeing how those multihulls stack up against the wider charter fleet. Either way, the boats that matter most are the ones that turn deck space into revenue, and that is why the East Med shows remain such a sharp window into where the business is going.