With the government of Thailand backing both the development of superyacht charter licensing and the on-going promotion of yachting in the area, comes good news.
The Minister of Tourism and Sports together with officials from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, has given the final go-ahead for the third edition of the Thailand Yacht Show which was conceived to drive the charter licence project and the development of Thailand as the major yachting hub in Asia.
Importantly, as a result of the last two year’s progress on this project, a new marine tourism strategy, particularly luxury marine tourism, has been formally adopted as part of the government’s 2021 Tourism Master Plan, with the show as the principal marketing platform for the government’s yachting initiative.
Plans are moving ahead for the staging of the third edition of the Thailand Yacht Show, with one of the most important focuses being on Superyacht Charter – and another being the “experiential” style of the event.
In order to maximise the potential for business the organisers now plan hold the show in February (Chinese New Year) instead of in December. The new dates are 22-25 February 2018, and the venue once again will be the Ao Po Grand Marina in Phuket.
Unlike many other boat shows, visitors will be able to get out on the water in Phang Nga Bay and try out a water craft the likes of sailboats, sports-fishers, dinghies, tenders, water sport boats, day-cruisers and superyachts alike.
The Government and the shows organisers believe that there’s a lot to be gained by making foreign superyachts welcome. They hope many captains and owners will be interested in wintering in Thailand if they are suddenly allowed to charter there.
If other ASEAN nations including Australia join in then the global fleet of nearly 5,000 superyachts will have a new winter yachting destination to consider.