Thai charter licence for foreign-flagged vessels confirmed

by Singapore Yacht Events on 24 Jun 2015 At a public meeting in Phuket last Friday, Ministerial approval was confirmed for foreign-flagged superyachts to be able to apply for a special charter licence to operate commercially in Thailand’s waters. This historic move is expected to provide a significant stimulus to yachting activity in South East Asia and to the future prospects for the whole boating industry.

Andy Treadwell, owner of the Singapore Yacht Show and one of the industry stakeholders driving the discussions with Thailand's Minister of Transport, said of Friday’s meeting: 'We believe this will be the beginning of a major shift of charter business to Asia in the winter season. It's a fantastic result for the yachting industry here, and we congratulate the Thai Government for the highly proactive stance they have taken with this initiative and the speed with which they have approved it.'

The launch of the new Phuket Yacht Show in the coming months will be critical to placing Thailand on the international yacht charter map. Treadwell continued: 'Phuket will be the principal hub for the long-awaited 'third destination' for charter yachts – now a highly attractive alternative to the Caribbean after a summer in the Mediterranean. We are gearing up to promote it to all existing superyacht owners and charter brokers, as well as to the thousands of new potential charter clients in Asia.'

One of the main authors of the proposal for the new charter licence, Jean-Marc Poullet, commented: 'I am absolutely delighted with this news, and that all the hard work from my colleagues in the Superyacht Working Group has been worth it. The economic impact for Thailand will be tremendous over the coming years, and our working relationship with all the various members of the local authorities has been really excellent; always highly positive.'

Rico Stapel, another of the principal drivers of the initiative, was equally enthusiastic. 'It's great to have been involved in what we believe will be such a game-changing project for Thailand's yachting scene, and for Asia generally,' he said. 'There have been similar campaigns in various other countries recently, and in every case the governments have recognised the benefits that high-end, high spending yacht tourism can bring. Quite aside from the revenue going directly into the local economies from provisioning, fuel, refit and repair and so on, the positive knock-on effect on local charter boats and the marine leisure business generally has been proved time and again to be really important.'

As an already popular destination for luxury travel, Phuket is perfectly positioned geographically and able to offer strong infrastructural support to an inbound fleet of superyachts. It is the first and most logical stop-off point after crossing from the Mediterranean before heading south to Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and on to Australia and New Zealand. There will soon be well over 100 permanent superyacht berths following considerable investment at the Yacht Haven and Ao Po marinas, bolstered by a wide range of local maintenance and service providers, making Phuket the largest cruising hub for luxury yachts in South East Asia.

Recent years have seen a significant increase in yacht traffic; this season Phuket has already welcomed around 75 superyachts to its marinas. But with the cost of transit from the Mediterranean running up to US$500,000 in some cases, the lack of opportunity to recoup outlay through charter has made owners hesitate to make the investment of fuel and time. With such restrictions now lifted, the case for taking a charter yacht to discover the largely unspoiled, uniquely beautiful and virtually limitless cruising grounds of South East Asia is a compelling one.

The inaugural Phuket Yacht Show, for which the dates are to be announced shortly pending further discussions with the government, is to focus on attracting potential charter clients to experience the luxury of a superyacht first-hand, as well as introducing charter brokers from around the world to the wonderful opportunities in the region. Once charter activity increases in South East Asia, industry experts forecast that regional ownership will follow suit, with new yachts being brought to Phuket as a home port.

Treadwell concluded of the meeting’s outcome: “We couldn’t have asked for a better outcome for Thailand and South East Asia, but also for Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific cruising grounds beyond. With the continuing success of the Singapore Yacht Show, soon to be joined by the increased exposure of charter opportunities through the new Phuket Yacht Show, yachting in Asia is set to finally make the mark it deserves on the global stage.”