PHUKET SHOW EARNS PRAISE
After a flat first edition in 2023, the second Thailand International Boat Show appeared to tick most of the boxes for exhibitors and visitors.
The second edition of the Thailand International Boat Show enjoyed great weather, strong industry support and an impressive line-up of close to 40 yachts, headed inside Royal
Phuket Marina by the Thailand debut of the Princess Y95 and featuring the 40m Silentworld charter superyacht at anchor. The four-day show was preceded on the Wednesday by the Thailand Yachting Conference, which was held at the White House in the neighbouring Phuket Boat Lagoon marina and featured speakers and delegates from across Asia-Pacific.Royal Phuket Marina hosted the opening ceremony of the show, which was officially inaugurated by Kitti Chaodee, Secretary to Thailand’s Minister for Tourism and Sports.In his opening address, he noted the importance of the annual event and its role in boosting tourism, with the latter helping the country’s ongoing economic recovery following the pandemic.
Ewa Stachurska, Group Marketing Director of Simpson Marine, said: “We found it a very positive show, with a good number of visitors genuinely interested in yachting and looking for boat ownership options. Our charter division was booking charters directly at the
show, while our service team was on hand to talk with customers about their servicing needs.
“Visitors were a good mix of local Thai customers and foreign visitors and residents. With this positive reactivation, we’re already planning for next year’s edition with some exciting new models arriving in Phuket. Overall, a positive, well-organised event that’s now firmly on our Asia boat show map.”
The Yacht Sales Co and Multihull Solutions exhibited three large yachts, comprising Fountaine Pajot’s Alegria 67 sailing catamaran,Dufour’s flagship 61 and a Monte Carlo Yachts MCY 70 brokerage yacht. Leopard showed a 45 sailing catamaran and 46 Powercat side
by side, both receiving strong interest. Asiamarine displayed a Galeon 500 Fly motor yacht, Bali 4.2 Boat Lagoon Yachting, the Southeast Asia dealer for Princess since 1994, had a strong display headed by the Thailand premiere of the new Y95 Simpson Marine, marking its 40th anniversary, had a strong line-up headed by the Thailand premiere of the Sanlorenzo SX76. Asia Yachting hosted the Prestige 420 and 590 flybridge motor yachts plus a Super Air Nautique G23 wake boat. While Go Boating and Extreme Marine displayed a Gulf Craft Silvercraft 36 and Al Dhaen 365 Centre Console respectively.
Activity informally
stretched beyond the official show borders, as yachts resident in Royal Phuket Marina also hosted visits and group gatherings on the sidelines of the event.
In fact, the show’s biggest yacht was at anchor, with Iseo Yachting of Hong Kong and UK-based TJB Super Yachts co-presenting the 130ft Silentworld charter superyacht, which hosted guests during the day and evenings. Hayes was delighted with the event and the response from
Exhibitors. They now prepare to organise the third Thailand International Boat Show from January 9-12, 2025. www.thailandinternationalboatshow.com