Phuket banks on boating

by Thailand Boating Newsletter on 7 Dec 2005 As the organizers get ready to open the gates to the third Phuket Boatshow on Thursday 8 December, advance visitor registrations and the industry ‘buzz’ have reached levels that indicate the show has matured as the region's premier boating and lifestyle show.

'We are particularly pleased to note that significant regional players such as Taiwan’s Horizon Yachts and Singapore’s Boat Asia will use PIMEX to launch their marketing campaigns,' said Andy Dowden of PIMEX organizers Image Asia Events, who added that visitor numbers are set to reach a record 5-6,000.

Horizon Yachts, through regional distributors Kingfisher Marine, will display a Horizon 53 for the first time in Thailand at PIMEX, while Boat Asia are using PIMEX as an ideal promotional platform to reach directly into their target market.

Other new product launches timed for PIMEX include Asia Superyachts’ revolutionary Austrian-designed Nano Speed Needle. This versatile catamaran – it comes in an almost limitless range of applications from pure fun toy to large commercial transport – will be available for test drive during the Phuket boat show. 'Those interested in seeing how it performs should come to our booth early,' said Asia Superyachts director Tom Burland, adding, 'We expect a great deal of interest both from fun-loving Thai buyers as well as commercial operators such as resorts and tour companies.'

A 4-metre Thundercat inflatable – pure racing/fun machine capable of 50 knots – joins a newly imported fleet of Jeanneau power and sail boats and four Gulfcraft in a line-up that counts 40 boats in the water and on the outdoor display.

Off the water, Helithai will launch a new helicopter service at PIMEX, with a Eurocopter AS350 on display outside the main halls, while the newly-opened Royal Phuket Marina is using PIMEX to launch Thailand’s first-ever fractional boat ownership scheme.

Joining the more than 100 marine industry exhibitors at PIMEX are a record 46 exhibitors in the property and related fields, from Bali, Koh Samui, Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket.

'It is clear that our media campaign this year has made a strong impact on potential visitors, in particular our partnership with the Phuket Gazette and the PIMEX supplement published in Thailand’s leading English language daily newspaper, the Bangkok Post,' said Image Asia managing director Grenville Fordham, adding that one of the key targets this year was to attract Thai nationals to the show.

'Thailand is a huge market for luxury cars, one of the biggest in the world for Mercedes Benz. The buying power and the appreciation of luxury and quality is there. Yet the market is almost untapped so far,' he said. 'PIMEX aims to help boat builders, brokers and agents increase awareness and develop what is without doubt the region’s biggest potential domestic market for luxury and fun boating'.

PIMEX is open from 10 am to 6 pm from Thursday 8 – Sunday 11 December.