Australian superyacht industry seeks closer ties with Phuket

PHUKET: Representatives of peak industry body Superyacht Australia, along with several Australian-based marine companies recently toured Phuket as part of a program aimed at fostering business relations in the marine industry.

The tour was hosted by the Australian Trade Commission and funded through the Australian Government’s Asian Century Business Engagement Plan grant program.

During the visit, the group toured all of Phuket’s major marinas, including Boat Lagoon, Royal Phuket Marina and Yacht Haven Marina. During these visits, they spoke with the marinas’ management and other local marine companies to learn about Phuket’s superyacht support infrastructure.

Australian Trade Commissioner for Thailand Ben Giles, who lead the tour, said that it was a great opportunity for various companies to make ties with their Phuket-based counterparts and to help find ways to increase superyacht traffic in the Australian and Asian regions.

During a meeting on the final day of the tour, the Australian business representatives expressed their surprise and satisfaction at the excellent superyacht facilities available in Phuket. Representatives of local companies including Asia Marine and Marineware Asia also attended the meeting and expressed their interest in working more closely with their Australian counterparts to drive business as Phuket’s superyacht industry continues to grow. Cameron Bray, director of Bray Management, who have over 30 yachts for charter throughout Australia, said that there are many possible ways to forge mutually beneficial relationships in Phuket.

“From what I’ve gathered during this visit, it seems people don’t want Thailand to be a destination, they want it to be a stop-over for vessels on their way to Australia. That way Phuket can ‘double-dip’ as vessels pass through on their way to Australia and then come back and hopefully spend more as well.

“So it’s about working with Thailand to let them know what services we have in Australia so they can push the vessels down to us and in turn we can push them back,” he said.

For more information about Superyacht Australia and its member companies, visit the website at: superyacht-australia.com

— Mark Knowles