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In the past, yachtsmen and yacht builders would have lumped the Asia-Pacific region with the “Rest of World”. Now, the world’s biggest names in yacht building are taking the region much more seriously. During the financial crash of 2008-9, the Asia-Pacific recovered very quickly, with cash-ready buyers taking advantage of lower prices for yachts to scoop up some impressive deals.

Brands such as Oyster, Princess, Fairline, Sunreef and Nautor’s Swan have all stepped up their marketing efforts in the region, with new dealership arrangements in the greater China region. They join stalwarts such as Ferretti, Azimut-Benetti and Sunseeker that have been working hard at developing the local market.

New marinas are due to come online that will substantially push forward the Asian market, particularly in China, but also in places like South Korea, where the government has been very active in developing a leisure marine market.

Asian builders are not to be missed either. A number of OEM yacht builders are now trying hard to develop their own brands, and some will be exhibiting at the Festival de la Plaisance de Cannes. In the past few years, we’ve seen a number of foreign-invested builders begin operations in Southern China, to complement the home-grown build scene in Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia. Most of these builders realise that they need to reach high quality standards and have eye-catching design, as well as cost-effective production, to succeed. Many are reaching out to foreign designers and quality control experts to help them achieve that. We look forward to Asian yacht brands becoming more prominent in the years to come.

And of course, there has been much exciting work in the last year in terms of drawing large yachts out from the Mediterranean to cruise in Southeast Asia. An Asia-wide superyacht association has been formed, and one of its main goals is to promote superyacht cruising in the region. The Asia-Pacific is a vast area (the Indonesian archipelago alone is the size of the Mediterranean basin). Thailand offers spectacular cruising, with nearby Singapore quickly establishing itself as a hub for superyacht logistics, refit and maintenance.

When it comes to yachting, the Asia-Pacific now seems to have it all.

For more informations : www.asia-pacificboating.com