Owing the popularity of nautical tourism along the Italian Riviera, as well as Genoa's history as a city for the ship and yacht building industry, the 1st International Boat Show was opened by Senator De Gregorio, Undersecretary to the Treasury, on 27 January 1962.

Since its inception, the shows were officially opened by Italian government ministers of Economy and Finance, Infrastructures and Transports respectively.

Next to the boot Düsseldorf trade fair, the Salone Nautico is regarded as one of the world's largest boat shows.

[2] As the largest event on the Mediterranean, the Genoa Boat Show is the world’s number one showcase for the very best the Made in Italy brand has to offer, welcoming every year industry professionals and boating enthusiasts alike to over 200,000 square metres of display area on land and sea.

Since its first successful introduction in 2018, the Genoa Boat Show has taken on a new multi-specialised format, that of 4 Boat Shows in 1, each entirely complementary yet at the same time characterised by their own specific identities: no divisions, no limits, just an extension of the Genoa Boat Show’s key strength, that of being a cross-segment event with in-depth vertical support chains that define a tailored one-to-one relationship with each and every exhibitor and visitor.