PHUKET, 28 January 2019: The fourth Thailand Yacht Show & RendezVous (TYS) hosted at the Royal Phuket Marina closed with confirmed yacht sales, solid business transacted by exhibitors across all sectors, and strong visitor numbers over the three-day event.
It differed from past shows by having brought all the competing parties together in a single Phuket boat show for the first time.
Previously, there were three competing shows vying for sponsors with limited resources to make all three profitable and sustainable.
Recognising a decisive show of unity, 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 four-year mission to open up Thai waters to foreign yacht tourism and grow the industry.
“Despite having only three months to prepare, we have seen excellent support from both the public and private sector this year,” said show organiser Verventia’s CEO Andy Treadwell.
“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.”
Bloomberg’s latest global superyacht tracker 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.
