As 2010 ended and 2011 begins Hein Velema, CEO of Fraser looked back at the last twelve months, he said “The charter market in 2010 did not bounce back in line with most people’s expectations.
We saw a substantial drop in demand from US clients, while the European market remained more or less on par with the previous 12 months.
At the same time the global charter fleet has grown, resulting in a large over-supply of charter yachts. For the winter season however, we are already starting to see some changes.
The bookings are coming in earlier than normal and the American charterers are returning to the market. ….. as we’ve seen repeatedly over the last two years, clients will quite regularly sign up for a charter with just 72 hours notice.”
He is optimistic about the year to come “There are also signs that the 2011 summer season may be busier than in 2010, but it is still too early to say with any certainty.”