From June to August, 3,176 megayachts sailed the waters of Gallura, an increase of nearly 10 percent compared to the same period last year. And while the Costa Smeralda, with its high concentrations in the bays of Cala di Volpe and Pevero and the Porto Cervo marina, remains the undisputed queen of luxury nautical tourism, the presence of yachts longer than twenty-four meters is beginning to extend throughout the Gallura coastline, from Cannigione to Olbia, all the way to Golfo Aranci and San Teodoro.
Compared to 2025, the number of large yachts has increased: Cannigione, which counted 1,300, increased by 19 percent; Olbia, with 1,305 boats, increased by 16 percent; and the Tavolara area, with 1,638 yachts, up 13 percent. In 2026, La Maddalena will lead the way with 2,866 superyachts passing through its archipelago, followed by the Costa Smeralda and Porto Rotondo. The data was processed and released today by the Cipnes Study Center during the Cannes Yachting Festival, as part of the regional plan for the internationalization of Sardinia's nautical industry. Of the fleet that sailed the Gallura seas, the Research Center profiled 291 maxiyachts with an average length of over 60 meters, including 34 of at least 90 meters and nine of at least 120 meters: the largest is Blue at 160 meters and valued at $900 million, followed by Topaz, 147 meters and $400 million, and Luminance, 145 meters and $500 million.
Floating villas, the total value of those examined that visited Gallura this summer is just over $19 billion: 56 gigayachts are worth $100 million and 17 are worth at least $250 million. Shipowners with combined personal fortunes approaching $1.433 billion are concentrated in the United States with $468 billion, followed by the United Arab Emirates and France. Italy represents 4.3 percent of the sample with $62 billion and is in second place for the number of vessels sighted in Gallura with 36 superyachts, preceded by the United States with 53 yachts and followed by the United Kingdom with 25, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Switzerland. They come mainly from the finance sector, one in four of the yacht owners analyzed by Cipnes is involved in manufacturing and investment, followed by the fashion, real estate and construction market, large-scale retail, and telecommunications and digital sectors.