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SE Asia - captivating and diverse

Caroline Blatter

South East Asia is without doubt one of the globe’s most captivating and diverse regions, offering a unique experience in terms of culture, history and cuisine, as well as breath-taking scenery both on land and at sea.

Superyacht Services Guide (SSG) has been receiving recommendations from captains and crew visiting Asia over the years and all report back with great enthusiasm and comment how they really enjoyed the hospitality and service levels that SE Asia is so renowned for. 

SSG has seen how facilities have developed in the area catering to the growing demands of visiting and permanent Superyachts, the standards  provided are showcased by such high levels as those of One Degree 15 Marina in Singapore, the recently refurbished Royal Langkawi Yacht Club in Malaysia and the new Lantau Yacht Club in Hong Kong.  Other key facilities exist in the region within Thailand, Indonesia and Borneo, all offering year-round safe havens. 

Andy Treadwell, whose company Verventia runs the Singapore, Thailand and the inaugural 2020 Hong Kong Yacht Shows, has been working actively to aid growth within the region.  As Treadwell says “The region offers unique and varied cruising grounds.  What is more, in a global context, the Asian market is estimated to account for 10-15% of new business and, given that roughly a third of the world’s private wealth resides here in Asia, there is unarguably a huge potential for growth.”

The senior team at Simpson Marine, one of the region’s most established players, concurs with Andy’s optimism for continued growth in the area - they have sold over 100 new and brokerage yachts in the last year.

"The Asia brokerage market is very active, particularly in Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand/Phuket," says Group Marketing Manager Ewa Stachurska. "There are some great options for clients looking for quick deliveries. Since starting our business in 1984, we have sold over 3000 yachts, from 5m to 70m plus, most of them to Asian buyers.”

All in all an indication of the increasing popularity for cruising the area, which in turn is leading to further growth in all aspects of the industry. 

CRUISING THE AREA

Indonesia is the one of the hotspots for visiting superyachts, whose guests are longing to see the stunning, remote areas of Raja Ampat and Komodo or dive with whale sharks in the pristine Cenderawasih Bay. 

“Not only do we see an increase in annual numbers of private superyacht visits, but through incentives from central government, the country has seen visits from vessels such as “The World”, to popular tourism locations like Bali and Komodo National Park as well as the more remote locations,” commented Andy Shorten of The Lighthouse Consultancy, one of the highly recommended superyacht support agencies in Indonesia.

Thailand, having a strong and established choice of shoreside support, such as that offered by Doc Taylor and his team of Clearvac Engineering Asia and Adam Frost of SEAL Superyachts, amongst many other services recommended within Superyacht Services Guide, has become a hub for those wishing to explore the relatively untouched islands of Myanmar as well as the outer Thai National Park islands of Similian and Surin.

There is so much to experience within the region, and as infrastructure grows the cruising options become more accessible for visiting yachts.
The areas are so vast that overcrowding is unlikely to become an issue however…sometimes it is better to beat the “crowds”.

In Pictures