Thailand Yacht Forum 2016 – all the info

by Guy Nowell, Sail-World Asia on 15 Dec 2016 Ancillary events around the Thailand Yacht Show (which opens today) started yesterday with the Thailand Yachting Forum at the White House, Phuket Boat Lagoon. This was an opportunity to hear updates from representatives of various Thai government departments concerning the realignment of regulations concerning the boating and yachting industry in Thailand – with a particular emphasis on the licensing of superyacht charter operations – and also catch an introduction to the present state of boating in the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, and the status of marina infrastructure in Thailand.

K Nithee Seeprae, Executive Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Product Promotions Dept, opened proceedings with a welcome and an assurance that governmental stakeholders in the drive to further strengthen the position of Thailand as ‘the yachting hub of ASEAN’ are all pointing in the same direction.

K Juthaporn Rerngronasa, TAT Representative and Chairperson of the Minister’s Tourism Working Group, advised that “yacht tourism is a very important constituent of the 32.5m visitors that will have arrived in Thailand during 2016, pumping an estimated USD167m into the national economy over the course of the year.”

K Jiraporn Jantasiri, Deputy Director-General of the Marine Dept of Thailand, presented some useful facts and figures concerning the ongoing government initiatives to rationalise and streamline regulations covering superyacht charter licences and the operation of foreign-flagged vessels in Thai waters, the promotion and development of marinas and marina activity, and the classification of vessels into ‘Private’ and ‘Commercial/Chartering’ categories.

This is very important information. It gave the delegates at the Forum a real handle on the current state of governmental regulations, with K Jiraporn indicating where feasibility studies are still “in progress”. It was also a clear statement of intent from the relevant government departments - principally Marine, Immigration, and Revenue.

After a strategic coffee break, proceedings resumed with a series of presentations from the Thailand Marine Business Association (TMBA). Vincent Tabuteau’s summary of ‘Yachting in the Andaman Sea’ started with the startling observation that “We are often surprised at how little knowledge charter brokers – particularly US brokers – have of this region.” He went on to point out that the Andaman area is highly accessible (international airports), that the infrastructure is well established, and Phuket and the east coast of Thailand offers cruising opportunities that range from day trips and 30 ft bareboats right up to adventurous 3-week superyacht expeditions to the Mergui Archipelago or the Andaman Islands. “Thailand and the Andaman desperately need more promotion overseas. Right now, we are training our clients to come here, and to come back again.”

Ron Patston, CEO of Gulf Charters, based at Koh Chang and Koh Samui in alternate seasons, concurred. “The Gulf of Thailand is almost entirely unknown to overseas charterers. There are only 10 bareboat charter boats operating in the Koh Chang area. A week is hardly enough for a cruise. The water is clear as gin, there are almost no navigational hazards, and onshore facilities range from 6-star resorts to small beach bungalows. Come on over!”

Superyachts have not discovered the idylls of the Gulf at all. “The Gulf of Thailand deserves just as much promotion as the Andaman Sea – maybe more.” Nevertheless, Patston estimates that boating activities contribute over THB165m to the local economy on an annual basis.

The Managing Director of opening-soon Port Takola near Krabi, Matthew Na Nagara, assigns five main functions to marinas: somewhere to keep a boat safely, a point of convenient access to the boat, the provision of services and repair facilities, ramps and/or slipways for ‘non-resident’ boats, and fuelling facilities.

He also points out that marinas are important nodes for the stimulation of ancillary services and industries. Thailand has over 1,000 nm of coastline, and approximately 2,500 marina berths – hardly an overpopulation scenario.

Last on the podium was Trenton Gay, CEO of Gold Coast City Marina and Shipyard on Australia’s Gold Coast, Queensland. “In addition to the straightforward marina activities, we host 65 workshops, companies and factories on our 17 ha site, all servicing the leisure marine industry.” He had a very important message for the TMBA: “Getting government involved in the development of boating is crucial. Getting government to move as quickly as the industry would like is hard! But keep at it: you are going the right way.”

This is a very brief roundup; there were facts and figures aplenty, and there was more information imparted in a one-afternoon Forum than in many other multi-day Conferences that we have attended. The organisers of this event – the same team that brings you the Thailand Yacht Show, starting tomorrow – and of course the speakers and presenters, are to be congratulated on a first class event. If this is the shape of things to come, the Thailand Yacht Show is going to be a knockout.

Doors open at 3.00pm today, 15 December, at Ao Po Grand Marina, Phuket.

See www.thailandyachtshow.com for further information.