The exhibition presence of global waterway tourism destinations

In January 2026, BOOT Düsseldorf, which is recognized as the world’s largest yacht and water sports exhibition, brought together over 1,500 exhibitors from 68 nations across16 differently themed exhibition halls, positioning itself as a central global platform for leisure boating manufacturers and waterway destination marketing (Boot 2026).

This expansive international representation provided Haaga-Helia’s Boating Finland research project a context for investigating how different destinations presented their waterway tourism services through stand experiences.

Finland’s waterway tourism destinations were demonstrated in two different pavilions. One, located in the yachting manufacturer hall, with an immersive dome presenting 360degree visualizations of various waterway tourism experiences, inviting the boating enthusiasts into multisensory encounters with Finnish waterway experiences. Another one, located in destinations & boat life hall, and co-developed with Visit Lahti Lakeland, showcasing the regions waterway tourism concepts and service infrastructure.

Destination images through stand visuals

Destination image emphasizes the role of both induced images, those intentionally produced by destination marketing organizations, and organic images, which visitors develop through prior knowledge (Afshardoost & Eshaghi 2020). Within a curated and themed exhibition environment, presentation stands function as image producing artefacts that strategically compress cultural identity and tourism value propositions (Almeida-García, Domínguez-Azcue & Mercadé-Mele 2017).

Visual elements, such as chosen colors and built in materials, become semiotic resources through which destinations communicate desirable attributes, such as reflections to quality and authenticity. The observed heterogeneity across stands demonstrates how destinations selectively mobilize these visual cues to articulate identity within the constraints of limited physical stand space.

At BOOT Düsseldorf there were three core dimensions identified by field observation and themed as visual identity, engagement practices and experiential value creation.

Visual identity determined the initial attraction to visit the stand: engagement practices related to the strongest predictor of perceived stand success and experiential features related to added memorability enhancements (Afshardoost & Eshaghi 2020). A stand’s visual identity served as a primary attraction creator through which waterway tourism destinations promoted their maritime cultures and services. For example, Greek stands refined blue–white colored displays communicated reliability to already existing tourism imaginaries of the country. Indonesia employed vibrant, multisensory designs to evoke relaxed waterway tourism atmosphere. Visually minimalist stands, such as Portugal, offered contextual information clarity, but lacked prominent differentiation. Hence brochure leaflets alone did not appear to secure the engagement to the stand visitation.

Interpersonal dynamics proved decisive and proactive hospitality, as demonstrated by Sweden, and produced positive stand atmosphere, compensating for modest material investment. Added experiential elements were generally scarce, resulting Finland´s Visit Lahtis rowing boat display to stand out as a rare tactile feature for increased memorability of the destination. Stands, such as Jordan and Indonesia, appeared to achieve higher visitor engagement outcomes as they aligned atmospheric design and interpersonal sales interaction into a coherent experiential proposition. In contrast, stands that relied on visuals without complementary social engagement or experiential elements struggled to sustain visitor interest.

Future recommendations

Destination stands presentation at BOOT Düsseldorf 2026 were mainly shaped by country specific layout designs and curated display materials and staff engagement either enhanced or discouraged the visitor interest. Hence, proactive engagement correlated positively with stand visitor experience, even in stands where visual identity was otherwise rather modest. This finding allies with tourism and hospitality research (Afshardoost & Eshaghi 2020) suggesting that interpersonal interaction often outweighs visual aesthetics in determining satisfaction, particularly in decision contexts such as choosing a holiday destination.

To improve competitive recognition at future exhibitions, it is recommended to enhance proactive staff engagement, strengthen visual storytelling, and expand experiential features by, for example, providing price-winning competition.

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