The Covid-19 Files: Asia shines... in parts
by Suzy Rayment, Asia Pacific Superyacht Assoc 14 Aug 2020 20:19 PDT
Weekend and overnight boating in Hong Kong is on the increase © Guy Nowell
While some parts of Asia shine, other areas of the Asia Pacific are still waiting for conditions to improve. Here, the Asia Pacific Superyacht Association (APSA) follows up with some of its members to find out how they are surviving the COVID-19 crisis.
Mike Simpson, MD and founder of Simpson Marine says, “The Hong Kong boat market is doing remarkably well this year in spite of the pandemic-related lockdown restrictions and a weakened economy.” The company, which is headquartered in Hong Kong and has been operating in Southeast Asia for over 30 years.
“We are fortunate that yacht sales and charter are strong in Hong Kong, because our offices in other part of Asia are struggling at the moment due to travel restrictions, lockdowns measures and uncertainty about the future economic impact of the pandemic.”
In Hong Kong, by the end of June, Simpsons have sold 50 new and brokerage yachts of all sizes, including six new-build Sanlorenzos ranging in size from 76ft to 146ft. “I think this is due to several factors,” explains Simpson. “Firstly, Hong Kong is the largest leisure boating market in Asia outside of Japan. With over 10,000 licensed leisure boats and nearly all boaters being local residents, (including many Mainland Chinese who have homes in Hong Kong), it means that owners and guests don’t have to cross international borders in order to gain access to their yachts.”
“Second, since the beginning of travel restrictions and lockdown in Hong Kong, there has been an understandable interest in escaping from crowds and possible infection risk, and an increased awareness among Hong Kong people of the beautiful islands and coastline right on their doorstep. The weather has also been unusually good this summer, and as result there has been a surge of interest in getting out on the water. This has led to a strong demand for yachts with quick delivery, and for overnight charters which were previously not that common in Hong Kong. So instead of escaping by jumping on a plane to a regional tourist destination, Hong Kong people who can afford it are jumping onto a boat and exploring the islands and beaches of Hong Kong.”
Singapore and Phuket are usually strong markets for Simpson Marine, but according to Simpson, “this year the sales have been well below average, with charter bookings in Thailand also being very weak. In Phuket, and to some extent Singapore, many boat owners are regionally based and have restricted access to their yachts, and limited places to go cruising because of the closed borders.”
Other Asia Pacific regions have recently opened up, and the Maldives and Tahiti are now welcoming superyachts. “As of 15 July, the Maldives borders are now open to visiting superyachts,” reports Mohamed Hameed, Regional Manager for Asia Pacific Superyachts (APS)/Maldives. “There are no restrictions for yachts coming to the Maldives, and no restrictions on nationalities. All travellers who want to visit Maldives by sea need to fill in an online health declaration at least 24 hours prior to arrival. All other clearance procedures are as normal, and full details can be found on the Government Immigration Website.” According to Hameed, “there is no other change thus far from our side in the Maldives, with 33 resorts in operation, and international flights bringing visitors into the country.” With more resorts and flights scheduled for operations from August, Maldives tourism is looking promising and expecting a busy winter season. All travellers however, are the advised to follow health regulations until a vaccine becomes available.
Tahiti also opened their borders from mid-July, and was pleased to welcome foreign yachts and visitors. The Islands of Tahiti, the government tourism office, says, “that thanks to early measures taken by the government, and the collaborative effort of the local population, French Polynesia has only had a few active cases of COVID-19, with no casualties.” As a result, French Polynesia experienced an unexpected influx of superyachts. The country had managed to keep the spread of the virus in check, but recent cases have meant addition restrictions have recently been introduced to stop the spread of Tahiti’s few cases of COVID-19.
Sri Lanka began reopening its borders on 01 August for travellers planning to spend more than five nights in the country. “Travellers need to provide proof of medical insurance and a negative COVID-19 test.” says Priyantha Perera, Regional Manager APS/Sri Lanka. “The Government has relaxed the curfew hours, which were in place in all districts in June, and have also opened up the country to the pre-Covid 19 status under strict health regulations that were imposed earlier.” Accordingly, all operations continue under the earlier advised health guidelines and procedures, and His Excellency the President has granted approval for a Private-Public-Partnership (PPP) involving a Government organization and a private company to handle crew changes in liaison with the Shipping Agents. Avant Guard Maritime Services (AGMS) has been appointed to operate the Isolation Centre, and carry out PCR tests, transportation between the airport and the Isolation Centre, and between the Isolation Centre and the ports.
Other parts of Asia, however, are still labouring under border and quarantine restrictions. India is one of the places that has not yet opened their borders,” reports R. Rathnam, Manager APS, India and Andaman Islands. “The Indian Government is trying to launch a vaccine and is conducting clinical trials, and if a vaccine does become available then things will change quickly.”
“Yachts in Malaysia can leave but only by special permission, says Captain Jean Francois Cormerais of APS, Borneo. “But where can they go, anyway? Arrival in Malaysia is still difficult, and requires (if allowed) a quarantine period. The situation is improving: yachts can travel between Malaysian states, but the border will remain closed until at least 31 August 2020.”
Captain Jimmy Blee, Director APS Indonesia, believes that the Indonesian Government has slated 11 September as the date the country will open to foreigners. Details of quarantine requirements for arriving foreigners are yet to be confirmed. “Please bear in mind that these rules are open to interpretation”, explains Blee, “and if you ask some people, they say yachts can check into Indonesia – no worries. However I prefer to err on the side of caution for our clients.”
In Thailand there is still no news of when superyachts will be able to come, or indeed leave, the country,” say Gordon Fernandes APS Phuket and Captain Charlie Dwyer APS Koh Samui, joint founders of APS. “The Thai Government had planned to ease restrictions in August, and restart some limited tourism programming, but this has not been the case, and so we need to wait and see what announcements are made in the coming weeks.” The Thai Yachting Business Association recently announced the postponement of Thailand Charter Week which will now be held 12-15 November 2021.
From Japan, Nigel Beatty, Chairman of APSA, reports that there has been no lockdown, and superyachts can visit the country - but there are very strict crew restrictions and quarantine measures in place. The hope is that these control measures will be steadily lifted as conditions improve in the run up to the Olympics, scheduled now for 2021.
While it is boom time for some in the region, it’s a waiting game for others. The one thing that the COVID-19 crisis has done for boating is to change the way people view their boats and how they used them. In Hong Kong boat owners are enjoying their fantastic cruising grounds, and reinforcing the growth of the market for superyacht charters and ownership in the region. Asia is shining, but not for everyone: we need to continue to work together to make sure we get through the COVID-19 crisis in one piece!
Thanks to APSA members Simpson Marine, Asia Pacific Superyachts, SYL Japan, West Coast Marine Services, Sail Lanka, and Islands of Tahiti for their updates.