Having brought all the disparate previously competing parties together in a single Phuket boat show, the fourth Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous (TYS) offered an all-embracing event at the Royal Phuket Marina for yachting enthusiasts and wealthy lifestyle-seekers from around Asia.
Leading international yacht dealers, brokerage houses, charter agencies and marine suppliers were there to showcase their brands, complemented by luxury property developers and a collective mix of lavish lifestyle products. With a decisive show of unity, the industry’s global players joined Thailand’s key marine tourism stakeholders – including a strong attendance of representatives from national and local government – who have all thrown their support behind TYS’s 4-year mission to open up Thai waters to foreign yacht tourism and grow the industry.
“Despite having only 3 months to prepare, we have seen excellent support from both the public and private sector this year. The Thai Government remain unswerving in their determination to support and grow the yachting industry, and bring much-needed cash into local businesses, by changing regulations where necessary to enable foreign superyacht charter tourism. The private sector made it clear they wanted a single show in Phuket. The results speak for themselves, with confirmed yacht sales, lots of business transacted by exhibitors across all sectors, and good visitor numbers over the first three days,” said Andy Treadwell, CEO of show organisers Verventia.
“What will we be able to do with a whole year!”
Richard Allen, General Manager of Simpson Marine, said, “As ever, Simpson Marine had the biggest display of new yachts at the show, representing our brands Monte Carlo Yachts, Beneteau, Lagoon, Aquilla and Sanlorenzo. I am pleased to say we made some sales during the show itself and have a number of other negotiations to conclude. Our charter team also saw a big increase in bookings during the show and Phuket still remains the premier charter destination in Asia. With just one show in Phuket, we hope the Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous can grow into a bigger and better event each year in the future.”
Speaking about the quality of visitors this year, Andrew de Bruin, General Manager of Multihull Solutions said, “Multihull Solutions were very pleased to again join the Thailand Yacht Show as an exhibitor with three yachts displayed in the marina. The quality of visitors was top rate and our vessels received great exposure. The joining together of all the shows is a definite winner for all involved and we look forward to booking space in next year’s event at the first opportunity.”
Phuket’s position as Asia’s yachting playground is clear, and as more people experience it, word is spreading globally of the world-class cruising grounds and the onshore support facilities to match. Moored off the stunning Island of Koh Rang Noi at the TYS Superyacht Hub were a number of impressive visiting yachts, including the 54m M/Y Talisman Maiton and 73m M/Y Titania. The Thailand Yacht Show has been a key industry and government focus for changing local regulations to attract more international superyachts to the country, and results are beginning to show. Bloomberg’s latest global superyacht tracker1 recorded movements of superyachts between November 2018 and January 2019, and Thailand placed fourth as a winter destination behind Sint Maarten, St. Barts, and Antigua, welcoming an influx of superyachts during the Christmas and New Year peak season.
“The single show concept has proved to be a huge success for the industry. We will continue to work closely with the Thai government and the private sector to hopefully get the changes to the tax regulations we need, and will build on this year’s success to make 2020 even bigger and deliver a strong ROI for all parties,” added Treadwell.
The Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous, organised in partnership with the Thai Government, is an international gathering of some of the biggest and best-known yachting and luxury lifestyle brands, in a highly social setting in one of the world’s most beautiful yachting destinations.
Dates for the 2020 show will be announced shortly.
