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Egyptian Streets

Independent Media

Is Egypt Set Out to Become a Global Yacht Tourism Destination?

By Farah Rafik

There is no place in Egypt untouched by culture and heritage: from the Nile River and the coastal turquoise-blue waters, to temples and tombs, palaces and museums – Egypt is an epicenter of tourism.

Egypt has been increasing its efforts to position itself as an emerging yacht tourism destination. The State Information Services (SIS) underscored that the Mediterranean Sea is considered an important center for yacht tourism globally, where more than 30,000 yachts sail.

In recent years, Egypt has launched several promotional campaigns hoping to stimulate Egypt’s touristic sector. It has been estimated that over EGP 30 million (USD 22 billion) was added to Egypt’s Gross Domestic Production (GDP) because of travel and tourism in 2021 alone.

In similar capacity, Egypt has been making plans to position itself as an emerging yacht tourism destination, capitalizing on the yacht tourism plans put forth by the Egyptian government. In early September 2022, the Higher Ministerial Committee developed a strategy to maximize yacht tourism on a global scale, with the aim of attracting foreign yachts to Egypt’s ports.

The unique geographical standpoint

Egypt has a unique geographical location, with coastlines that stretch nearly 2.4 kilometers across the Mediterranean and Red Sea. Its islands are also home to prime diving spots and popular marine sport locations, which position them as attractive tourist destinatinations.

Currently, Egypt has 23 yacht marinas and berths, including Sharm El-Sheikh’s Naama Bay Marina, Taba Heights Marina, which can accommodate up to 50 yachts and provide them with maintenance services as well, El-Gouna’s Abu Tig Marina, and the Hurghada Marina, which can accommodate 188 yachts at a time.

There is also the North Coast’s Porto Marina, which is the first international yacht marina in eastern North Africa and can accommodate over 1.4 thousand yachts, and Marassi Marina, the latest addition, which can accommodate over 260 yachts. The state is working to build more marinas, including an international port in New Alamein.

Egypt also plans on establishing its first yacht ‘green marina’ powered by renewable energy, planned on an area of 25,000 square meters, with the capacity to accommodate 65 yachts. Osama Rabie, Chairperson of the Suez Canal Authority, explained that there are three yacht marinas in the course of the canal, including Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez.

The governmental efforts standpoint

The Ministry of Transport launched its first digital platform to manage, develop, and issue the necessary approval and permits for yachts. Through the digital platform, yacht owners can submit the necessary documents, pay a fixed fee on state-owned berths, receive invoices, and more.

The new regulations set daily docking fees at USD 4 to 14 per meter length of the yacht, with longer yachts paying more per meter. The fees are applicable to yachts 10 meters long and above.

The Ministry of Transport is also coordinating with the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities the launch of a marketing campaign to advertise touristic ports and marinas to boost yacht tourism.

The clientele standpoint

Egypt is home to a sizable yachting community. From an economic standpoint, yacht tourism is a source of foriegn exchange inflows.

According to former Minister of Tourism, Khaled El Anany, yacht tourists spend on average 94 percent more than the average tourist.

Some of the most popular yacht tourism destinations around the world include Croatian islands, Greek Isles, St. Tropez and the Caribbean. What unites all these beautiful destinations is their turquoise waters and secluded beaches, and Egypt offers an array of such picturesque spots. With governmental efforts, associated economic benefits, and its unique geographical location, Egypt is on the road to becoming a global yachting destination in the future.

Every corner in Egypt houses distinct types of tourist destinations, such as spiritual and religious tourism, cultural and archaeological tourism, and resort and desert tourism. Egypt stands as an attractive destination for foreigners and locals alike.

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How Egypt plans to become a global yacht tourism destination

Egypt wants to position itself as an emerging yacht tourism magnet on the global scale: As Egypt looks to capitalize on and regulate a burgeoning yacht tourism industry in the country, the Madbouly government greenlit the regulations managing yacht activity in domestic ports earlier this month. The regulations lay out everything from the permits required for yachts to enter and exit the country, the services that different government entities will provide, the requirements from yacht owners, and the docking fees they will be subject to in Egypt. With these regulations in place — and with the help of our favorable geographic positioning — yacht tourism could be well-placed to grow, our sources tell us.

The push to capitalize on this up-and-coming form of tourism makes good sense: Egypt has some 2.4k km of coastlines on the Mediterranean and Red seas, tourist resorts located near historical and tourist cities, as well as prime diving spots and popular marine sports.

The business case is also clear: Yacht tourism is a solid source of FX inflows, considering that it’s wealthy individuals who own or have access to yachts. The daily spend of those visiting Egypt via yachts is 94% more than the average tourist, former tourism minister Khaled El Anany previously said . Globally, the size of the yacht tourism economy, excluding onshore spending, hovers around the EUR 12 bn mark .

The Mediterranean is a hotspot for yacht tourism: Half of global nautical tourism is concentrated in the Mediterranean alone, which draws in over 30k yachts a year, according to the State Information Service (SIS) . European countries overlooking the Mediterranean are currently dominating the yacht tourism sector, attracting an annual USD 150 bn from the sector.

It’s also particularly popular among our friends in the GCC: Yacht tourism provides a great window to double the tourism spending of those visiting from the Gulf, our sources in the tourism industry tell us.

There’s also a sizable yacht tourism clientele here at home: There are currently around 1k luxury yachts flying the Egyptian flag in the Red Sea and Mediterranean, Ayman Nassef, marine unit insurer at the Suez Canal Ins. Company told us. That’s in addition to yachts owned by Egyptians, but flying foreign flags. He added that the pandemic has little to no impact on the local purchase of yachts, seeing that those with the capacity to purchase yachts are extremely wealthy and their income wasn’t affected by the pandemic.

The current lay of the (metaphorical) land: Egypt currently has 23 yacht marinas and berths. It is also home to the North Coast’s 500-berth Porto Marina Resort, which overlooks the Mediterranean sea and can accommodate over 1.4k yachts. It is the first international yacht marina in the eastern part of North Africa. We also have Hurghada Marina, which can accommodate around 188 yachts at a time. Egypt is also home to the Taba Heights Marina, which can accommodate up to 50 yachts and provide them with maintenance services as well, and El Gouna’s Abu Tig Marina and Sharm El Sheikh’s Marina Naama.

How much are all these yachts going to be paying? The new regulations set daily docking fees at USD 4-14 per meter length of the yacht, with longer yachts paying more per meter. The fees are set for yachts ranging from 10 meters to 90 meters and above. The fees are fair and are on par with average docking fees in international marinas, Ain Sokhna’s Wadi El Dom Marina Director Ihab Taher told Enterprise.

There’s more marinas coming, too: In a bid to boost yacht tourism, the state is working to build more marinas, including: An international port in New Alamein , a marina with the capacity to accommodate up to 333 yachts in El Galala, and the c.EGP 24 bn Marassi Marina and Yacht Club , courtesy of Emaar Misr, which is set to become the first international marina in the North Coast to accommodate over 260 yachts.

But it’s not just about the physical infrastructure. The government is putting in place a strategy to attract yacht tourism through a ministerial committee headed by Transport Minister Kamel El Wazir and Finance Minister Mohamed Maait. The strategy is set to work out how to raise the efficiency of yacht marinas and build more in the country’s most prominent tourist attractions, based on a revised blueprint for the currently built marinas. The Transport Ministry’s Maritime Transport Sector will be tasked with the application of the strategy and ensuring its sustainability and implementation.

A key pillar of the in-the-works strategy and the new regs: Streamlining procedures and introducing digitization. A complicated web of bureaucracy to receive permits is among the biggest complaints from the industry and yacht owners, which has been slowing down yacht tourism in Egypt, Taher told us. The Transport Ministry has introduced a digital platform for tourist yachts , which will be the one-stop-shop for tourist yachts, managing, developing and issuing the necessary approvals and permits. “The platform currently allows yacht owners to obtain all the necessary approvals from the concerned authorities with ease,” Taher said. The new regulations will also see the ministry issuing unified invoices through EGX-listed, state-owned fintech player e-Finance.

Making things easier will put us at a better advantage above regional competitors for yacht tourism , including Turkey and Greece, Taher anticipates.

But we could also join forces with these competitors for joint tourism programs , which could help support our competitive position , suggests Atef Abdel Latif, a member of the Tourism Investors Association in South Sinai and Marsa Alam. We’re already friendly with eastern Mediterranean neighbors Greece and Cyprus and Egypt recently discussed cooperating on yacht tourism with these two countries. The state has also recently started operating flights between Red Sea resorts and Luxor, which could support these joint tourism programs, House Tourism and Civil Aviation Committee head Noura Ali suggests.

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Yacht and Cruise Ship Tourism Strategy

The strategy aims to maximize the benefit from yacht tourism in Egypt, in implementation of the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi to the government to study and facilitate the executive procedures for yacht tourism compared to competing countries, given that this type of tourism is a great addition to tourism in Egypt, especially with the country’s extensive beaches on the coasts of the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

Why the interest in this emerging type of tourism?

Egypt has more than 2,400 km of coastline extending along the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea, and tourist resorts located near historical and tourist cities, in addition to distinctive diving sites.

Yacht tourism is a strong source of foreign currency inflows, and the daily spending of those visiting Egypt via yacht (wealthy tourist) is 94% higher than the average spending of a traditional tourist.

Half of global yacht tourism is concentrated in the Mediterranean, which attracts more than 30,000 yachts annually.

There are currently 23 marinas and piers for yachts and cruise ships in Egypt. The most prominent of which is the yacht marina at Porto Marina Resort, which can accommodate about 500 yachts, and is the first international yacht marina in the eastern part of North Africa. There is also Hurghada Marina, which has an area of 60,000 square metres, and can accommodate about 188 yachts at the same time. In addition to Taba Heights Marina, which can accommodate up to 50 yachts and also provides maintenance services, Abu Tig Marina in El Gouna, and Naama Bay Marina in Sharm El Sheikh.

The state is working to establish more marinas, including: an international port in New Alamein, a marina with a capacity of up to 333 yachts in the city of Galala, and Marassi Marina and its affiliated yacht club with a plan to be the first international marina on the North Coast to accommodate more than 260 yachts.

Accordingly;

A higher ministerial committee was formed to develop a strategy to attract yacht tourism to Egypt, headed by the Minister of Transport, with the participation of the Ministers of Tourism, Finance, Communications and Information Technology, and representatives of the relevant ministries and authorities.

The tasks of this ministerial committee are limited to updating the map of all “marines” at the republic level, whether existing or proposed, identifying promising areas that represent points of attraction for yacht tourism, in addition to setting regulatory controls and rules for yacht tourism; so as to unify all requirements necessary for establishing and operating “marinas”.

The committee’s terms of reference also include launching a single window that represents all concerned parties, so that the Ministry of Transport is the party responsible for coordinating with all parties to issue all licenses and collect the prescribed fees, as well as taking the necessary measures to simplify the permits required for the movement of yachts between all Egyptian ports.

Strategy objectives:

- Working to encourage tourist ships and yachts to increase their frequencies at Egyptian seaports and marinas, by preparing a unified price policy that would provide attractive incentives and discounts for tourist ships and yachts.

- Raising the efficiency of current tourist ports, and establishing new tourist “marinas” in locations that are touristically attractive.

- Preparing a marketing plan to promote yacht tourism and Egyptian tourist ports, and preparing a plan throughout the year to achieve effective participation in conferences, tourism forums and international exhibitions, in addition to allocating pavilions to promote yacht tourism in Egypt.

Effective steps to maximize yacht tourism in Egypt:

- Issuing Prime Minister’s Decision No. 2721 of 2022 regulating foreign yacht tourism in Egypt.

- Issuing a unified code for establishing and operating “harbors” and ports for tourist yachts in Egypt, in addition to updating the map of existing and proposed international “ports” locations nationwide.

- Launching the “single digital window” for foreign yacht tourism, which since its launch and operation since September 1, 2022, has avoided most of the problems and obstacles that faced attracting yacht tourism to Egypt, most notably reducing the time period required to issue approvals for yachts by authorities, to between 3 or 6 hours.

- Setting a unified tariff for the trawler fees on all docks, passenger stations, and tourist ports affiliated with the Ministry of Transport, in one currency, to avoid the problem of conflicting trawler fees for foreign yachts in Egyptian ports, with no interference in trawler interviews and the provision of services at private tourist ports, which were announced through the single digital window. For foreign yachts.

- Allowing foreign yachts to leave is one of the measures taken by the Egyptian government to maximize yacht tourism in Egypt and simplify its procedures, allowing foreign yachts to leave from any tourist port or marina without being restricted to departure from the arrival port or marina.

During the Council of Ministers meeting held on 17/5/2023, directives were issued by Prime Minister Dr.Mostafa Madbouli to the relevant ministries to take the necessary measures regarding extending the validity period of the tourist visa for those traveling on foreign yachts to “3 months” instead of “30 days” as a result of what those tourists may face including fluctuations in natural factors or emergency situations (bad weather conditions - malfunctions that prevent the yacht from sailing, …etc.) and the failure to abide by the appropriate times of departure due to the requirements of safe sailing for the crew and passengers.

What is the “single digital window for foreign yacht tourism” and how does it work?

It is a website on the international information network,  (https://www.mts.gov.eg) , through which the yacht owner or his representative can enter the details of the yacht and passengers, upload the required documents and papers, the arrival date, the port to dock in, and the entire trip program.

In this field, the digital window sends them automatically to the concerned authorities to review the required data, documents and interviews and send their approvals to the official window website in the maritime transport sector to issue one approval for the visit program within 30 minutes in implementation of the directives of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, and one invoice is issued for the foreign yacht. It can be collected electronically through the window in US dollars, noting that completing procedures for foreign tourist yachts previously required a period of 15-30 days.

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Please note you do not have access to teaching notes, an analysis of the post-covid-19 cruise industry: could this be a new possibility for the luxury yacht sector in the caribbean.

Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes

ISSN : 1755-4217

Article publication date: 23 February 2022

Issue publication date: 22 March 2022

The aim of this paper is to examine the post-pandemic prospects for the luxury yacht industry in the coming decade in contrast to those for mega cruise ships.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper employed a qualitative approach via an examination of industry analysis and discussion with industry experts in tourism, cruising and luxury yachting.

Based on industry analysis and discussion with key stakeholders, the finding is that the luxury yacht industry responded well to its market from the onset of the pandemic, and will continue on this path in both luxury and sporting yacht categories. To regain customer support after the long period of travel restrictions, cruise lines will have to significantly reduce their prices in order to stimulate demand. This, coupled with approximately 40% reductions in load capacity is a blow to the industry. Hence, this calls for the industry to commit itself to the present safety protocols, which are an added cost to their operations. In contrast, the luxury yacht industry is presented with a golden opportunity as a result of these constraints as it can stimulate revenue through charters and rentals.

Practical implications

There was never anticipation of a global pandemic that would bring tourism operations to a total halt. The question is, what recovery strategies have been employed by the small island states that have invested millions of US dollars over the last two decades in expanding or developing new cruise ports? Given the historical perspective for Errol Flynn Marina in Port Antonio, Jamaica, the Port Authority of Jamaica can reposition the Marina to take advantage of the new opportunity that has been created for the yacht industry by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Social implications

It is likely that more Caribbean nationals will be employed on luxury yachts as compared with the less than 5% of Caribbean nationals employed on cruise ships prior to the pandemic.

Originality/value

The economies of most Caribbean Islands and many other small island developing states (SIDSs) are heavily dependent on tourism; specifically cruise tourism during the cruise season. Some of these countries continue to anticipate a quick recovery for the cruise industry. This anticipation may not yield an immediate result because of the protocols that are needed in response to the pandemic. This paper shows that in the mid to long-term, the returns from significant investment in port development must be realized and the luxury yacht industry presents one such opportunity. This paper is helpful because the present outlook for cruising is not good, and so a new approach and strategy must be put in place to develop new products.

• Luxury yacht

Ajagunna, I. and Casanova, S. (2022), "An analysis of the post-COVID-19 cruise industry: Could this be a new possibility for the luxury yacht sector in the Caribbean?", Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes , Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 115-123. https://doi.org/10.1108/WHATT-12-2021-0158

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• Monday, 29 April 2024

PM Madbouly orders finalisation of strategy to promote yacht tourism in Egypt

Mena , ahram online , thursday 5 aug 2021.

Egypt seeks to leverage its long coasts and beaches along the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly instructed the government on Thursday to study a prepared plan by the end of the month to promote yacht tourism.

The strategy was prepared in line with directives from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Madbouly in order to leverage the country’s long coasts and beaches along the Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea, a statement released following a cabinet meeting earlier today said.

The Egyptian government was ordered to start implementing this strategy once the study is completed, according to the statement.

Tourism Minister Khaled El-Anani said that Egypt has 2,400 kilometres of coasts and beaches, which feature numerous tourist resorts.

He stressed the “economic importance” of yacht tourism, which brings in substantial revenues through transit and docking fees, taxes, fuel sales and maintenance fees.

El-Anani said the average spending of yacht tourists could be 94% higher than other travelers. He put the value of yacht tourism in the Mediterranean region at about 300 billion dollars annually.

Yacht tourism also helps create jobs, directly and indirectly, in the travel and service sectors, especially for youth.

Meanwhile, Transport minister Kamel El-Wazir said the government’s strategy should include a unified pricing policy and discounts to attract ships and yachts. He also stressed the importance of upgrading the efficiency of tourist ports and establishing a yacht marina.

A marketing plan is also needed to promote yacht tourism in Egypt, El-Wazir told the cabinet.

El-Wazir also announced that an electronic portal would be launched to make procedures and the issuance of permits and unified bills easier for bodies concerned with yacht tourism.

On Sunday, Head of Maritime Transport Sector Major General Reda Ismail said Egypt is launching a digital platform to promote yacht tourism in the country, in a move aimed at facilitating procedures and the obtaining of security permits through a single website.

Egypt’s geographical position makes it advantageous for yacht tourism as it overlooks the Mediterranean Sea with a coastline of 995 kilometres and the Red Sea with a coastline of 1,941 kilometres, as well as the Nile River, which runs the length of the country.

A national plan has been implemented to raise the efficiency of ports and marinas in Egypt as well as to ensure the construction of new ports.

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Egypt's pm follows up on status of strategy to promote yacht tourism.

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 - 09:15 GMT

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CAIRO - 3 January 2022: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli held a meeting on Monday to follow up the status of a strategy to promote yacht tourism.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled el Anani, Minister of Housing Assem el Gazzar, and Minister of Transport Kamel el Wazir, along with other senior officials. The prime minister said the meeting comes to follow up the implementation of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s directives for developing a strategy for boosting yacht tourism nationwide. A decision was issued in June 2021 to form a higher ministerial committee to draw up this strategy, Madbouli added. Meanwhile, the transport minister said several meetings have been held over the past period for this purpose, and a strategy for boosting yacht tourism in Egypt has been drafted. The strategy included developing a unified pricing policy that offers incentives to lure tourist ships and yachts, in addition to upgrading tourist ports, and establishing new yacht marinas at tourist sites, Wazir added. It also included preparing a marketing plan to promote yacht tourism in Egypt, in addition to creating an online platform that contains all bodies concerned with a view to simplifying relevant procedures and security licenses. 

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A ferry with Egyptian and Saudi Arabian flags is seen at Hurghada Maritime Port

Egypt revealed its strategy to boost yacht and cruise ship tourism on its coastlines on Sunday.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced the new measures after a meeting with the country’s ministers of tourism, and transport, sectors directly involved in the introduction of the strategy.

Egypt has found it difficult to attract cruise ship tourism in the past owing to tight security restrictions and arduous permit processes along its borders. Mr Madbouly said the country was not making the most of its potential.

The plan, mandated by President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, aims to apply a multifaceted approach to revamp the nation’s coastlines, build new ports and expedite permits, Mr Madbouly said in a statement.

Diving boats in the resort town of Naama Bay in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on April 1, 2016.

The committee will review which existing ports are best equipped to receive yachts and cruise ships, and will propose new locations on the Red and Mediterranean seas for establishing new entry points.

Ports that are chosen as yachting hotspots will be renovated to make them more inviting to visitors, Mr Madbouly said.

A unified price policy will also be brought in under the plan, and discounts will be used to entice seafaring tourists to visit Egyptian waters.

Currently, rates vary depending on which port a vessel is heading to.

For instance, if a south-bound luxury vessel must navigate the Suez Canal to reach the Red Sea, it will often pay more than if it stayed in Mediterranean waters. Rates are known to fluctuate significantly from year to year.

Once the necessary infrastructure changes are complete, promotional campaigns will be launched worldwide to invite tourists to bring their boats to Egypt’s revamped coasts.

Crucially, a unified online platform will be launched through which tourists can receive all the permits they need, including visas and approval to disembark at Egyptian ports, before they arrive.

As it stands, sailors entering Egypt must be escorted through its waters by pilots for security reasons.

Pilots board arriving vessels at each port and escort it to the next one on its journey. Often pilots do not speak English, and waiting times are notoriously long. All of this is set to change, however, when the proposal is introduced.

The transport ministry will operate the website and collect all the fees, the statement said. The ministry will then co-ordinate with all the other relevant government bodies on tourists’ behalf.

These changes will shorten processing times and make it much smoother for tourists to not only travel to Egypt by sea, but also move around with their vessels freely once they arrive.

Once the plan is fully devised, it will be presented to President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and the larger Cabinet for approval.

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PM follows up on status of strategy to promote yacht tourism

• Tuesday، 04 January 2022 - 11:52 AM

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli held a meeting on Monday to follow up the status of a strategy to promote yacht tourism. The meeting was attended by Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled el Anani, Minister of Housing Assem el Gazzar, and Minister of Transport Kamel el Wazir, along with other senior officials. The prime minister said the meeting comes to follow up the implementation of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s directives for developing a strategy for boosting yacht tourism nationwide. A decision was issued in June 2021 to form a higher ministerial committee to draw up this strategy, Madbouli added. Meanwhile, the transport minister said several meetings have been held over the past period for this purpose, and a strategy for boosting yacht tourism in Egypt has been drafted. The strategy included developing a unified pricing policy that offers incentives to lure tourist ships and yachts, in addition to upgrading tourist ports, and establishing new yacht marinas at tourist sites, Wazir added. It also included preparing a marketing plan to promote yacht tourism in Egypt, in addition to creating an online platform that contains all bodies concerned with a view to simplifying relevant procedures and security licenses.

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Luxury Yachting

Perspectives on Tourism, Practice and Context

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• Hugues Séraphin 1 ,
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Table of contents (12 chapters)

Front matter, introduction: luxury yachting—a growing but largely unknown industry.

• Tatiana Gladkikh, Hugues Séraphin, Victoria Gladkikh, Tan Vo-Thanh

Perspectives on Tourism

Luxury yachting in the global context of covid-19.

Hugues Séraphin

Understanding the Luxury Charter Yacht Value Proposition: Co-creating Customer Experiences

• Lyn Batchelor, Russell Williams

Luxury Yachting versus Luxury Cruising: Differences, Similarities and Customer Choices

• Karen Worrall, Tatiana Gladkikh

Perspectives on Practice

On board a luxury vessel: demystifying the daily operations.

Victoria Gladkikh

Sustainability and Luxury Yachting: the Evolution of a New Sustainable Era

• Lauren Ryburn

Innovative Galley Management for Sustainability in Luxury Yachting

• Thean Labuschagne

Riding the Waves of High Sea and Life: a Crew Member’s Reflection on Yachting

• Katrien van der Merwe

Perspectives on Context

Geo-marine tourism development for luxury yacht tourist markets: indonesia’s post-covid recovery strategy.

• Janti Gunawan, Aise Kim, Amien Widodo, Muhamad Azlian Kautsar

Emerging Yachting Tourism and Luxury Policy Mobility: Singapore and the Southeast Asian Extension

• Emiel L. Eijdenberg, K Thirumaran, Caroline Wong

Re-Imaging Malta: The Potential of Sailing and Yacht Events as a Tourism Niche—a Case Study of the Rolex Middle Sea Race RMSR

• Caroline Navarro, Andrew Jones

Conclusion: Luxury Yachting—New Insights and Further Questions

Back matter.

• tourism marketing
• sustainability
• global business
• Yacht industry

About this book

This book offers an insight into the luxury yacht industry as a provider and facilitator of a luxury yacht experience. Linked to special interest tourism (SIT), luxury yachting is an exclusive area of tourism and practice which operates in a relatively small and niche environment.

Part I offers a range of academic contributions on luxury yachting from a tourism perspective. Part II provides an insight into the industry from the practitioner perspective. Part III stimulates discussions around yachting practices in different destinations.

With a truly global outlook, this contributed volume enhances our understanding of a lucrative area within tourism that has so far been under-researched and under-explored.

Editors and Affiliations

Tatiana Gladkikh

Tan Vo-Thanh

About the editors

Tatiana Gladkikh  is Head of Discipline (Business Management) at AFG College with the University of Aberdeen, Doha. She joined academia in 2007 after 11 years of management, academic and consultancy roles in the UK, Russia and Europe. Her area of consultancy is cross-cultural business communication and transnational education. Prior to her move to Qatar she has worked at the University of Birmingham and the University of Winchester teaching at all academic levels and researching leadership, globalisation and cross-cultural issues in the global business environment.

Hugues Séraphin is a Senior Lecturer in Event and Tourism Management Studies. He is also an associate research at La Rochelle Business School (France). Hugues Seraphin holds a PhD from the Université de Perpignan Via Domitia (France) and joined The University of Winchester Business School in 2012. He was the Programme Leader of the Event Management programme between 2015 and 2018. Dr HuguesSeraphin has expertise and interests in tourism development and management in post-colonial, post-conflict and post-disaster destinations. He has recently published in International Journal of Culture, Tourism, and Hospitality Research; Current Issues in Tourism; Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and Events; Journal of Business Research; Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes; Tourism Analysis; and Journal of Destination Marketing & Management. He is the co-Editor of Overtourism: Causes, Implications and Solutions (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020).

Victoria Gladkikh is a lead deckhand on board of a 85-meter luxury motor yacht. Having worked on luxury yachts since 2016, she has acquired over 20,000 nautical miles travelling on luxury vessels of various sizes around Europe, North America, Canada, the Caribbean and Central America. She has served a variety of affluent owners and guests from various cultural and professional backgrounds. She has experience of two transatlantic crossings, Panama Canal crossing and Monaco Yacht Show. Victoria is a qualified Yachtmaster. A recipient of the Slater Scholarship award, she is currently studying for a Officer of the Watch qualification. Victoria has two significant media appearances: her professional interviews and photographs were published in leading luxury yacht magazines On Board and Boa t. She is an active member of the female yachting organization.

Tan Vo Thanh  is an Associate Professor in Tourism & Marketing at La Rochelle Business School, Excelia Group, France. His area of specialization and research is Destination Management, ICT, Wine Tourism and Green Human Resource Management. He is also the co-Editor of Overtourism: Causes, Implications and Solutions (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020).

Bibliographic Information

Book Title : Luxury Yachting

Book Subtitle : Perspectives on Tourism, Practice and Context

Editors : Tatiana Gladkikh, Hugues Séraphin, Victoria Gladkikh, Tan Vo-Thanh

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86406-4

Publisher : Palgrave Macmillan Cham

eBook Packages : Business and Management , Business and Management (R0)

Copyright Information : The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022

Hardcover ISBN : 978-3-030-86405-7 Published: 19 November 2021

Softcover ISBN : 978-3-030-86408-8 Published: 20 November 2022

eBook ISBN : 978-3-030-86406-4 Published: 18 November 2021

Edition Number : 1

Number of Pages : XIX, 230

Number of Illustrations : 2 b/w illustrations, 8 illustrations in colour

Topics : Tourism Management , Luxury

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Tourism Minister Holds Meeting to Discuss Yacht Tourism Promotion Strategy

Ahmed Issa, the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, convened a meeting at the ministry's headquarters in the New Administrative Capital.

During the meeting, the Minister directed the preparation of a detailed study and plan outlining how to promote yacht tourism. This comprehensive plan is expected to be presented for review and discussion within four weeks, with the goal of formal approval. 

What to expect from the yachting 2023 industry

Home > LUXURY/UHNW Trends > What to expect from the yachting 2023 industry

Posted by Gemma Harris 18 Jan 2023

2022 was the year that helped revive the global luxury yacht market following the pandemic and its varying travel restrictions. This year, key players are anticipating further growth and more exciting developments, building on the incredible growth seen in 2022.

Staying relevant and on top of the yacht 2023 industry trends will be critical to a brand’s success in the year ahead. Getting ahead of new experiences and developments can put your brand in a more competitive position, helping you to reach and engage with new and existing customers. 

So, what will happen this year in yachting, and how can you utilise the latest yacht trends to your advantage? 

We consider and explore the latest trends, developments, and growth opportunities that we expect to see from the yacht industry in 2023.

Luxury yachting 2023 ; the year ahead 

1 – expedition yachts and remote destinations .

Expedition yachts have become increasingly popular throughout the industry, and we expect this yacht market trend to continue this year. There are many reasons explorer yachts are increasingly popular, including the fact that they enable a deeper connection to exploring nature and our oceans, which is now high on clients’ agendas. 

Previously, expedition yachts were designed with simple form and function in mind. Today yacht designers are combining ultimate comfort and luxury alongside high technology and capabilities, allowing adventure and the possibility of reaching the most remote and off-the-beaten-track destinations. 

Much of this expedition demand comes from the influx of younger clients, demanding something different from the norm and established yacht itineraries. The industry’s favourite locations will begin to lessen in popularity while other, more remote areas will rise to the fore. Adventures onboard expedition yachts can be had in the Arctic, Antarctic, South Pacific, and remote Atlantic. These are challenging cruising grounds, but ones that are now accessible on the world’s finest expedition vessels. 

2 – Boom in charter & new build

The post-pandemic boom and other global supply chain factors have meant a record number of yachts on order or in build. 

According to the latest figures from Boat International, there were more than 1,000 superyachts projects on global order books in 2022 – a rise of 24.7% compared to the previous year. Last year was the third year of consistent order book growth, and industry experts expect this trend to continue in 2023. There are now long waiting lists for new build yachts, which is one factor increasing the demand for the charter market. 

Another factor resulting in charter market growth is the general increase and interest in the yachting industry, with more people trying it out and experimenting with travel options, driven by the desire to enjoy more exclusive and private travel experiences. The latest reports show that the global yacht charter market was valued at US$ 16.4 billion in 2021 and is expected to show a compounded annual growth rate of 25.6 between 2022 and 2030.  

3 – Experiential yachting 

What does experiential yachting mean? It simply means everything a yacht owner should enjoy onboard their vessel.

Here are six key takeaways from the International Experiential Yachting Forum 2022:

https://relevanceyacht.com/blog/the-best-experiential-yachting-forum-insights-2022/

4 – Greener solutions 

Improving the industry’s footprint has been one initiative creeping higher and higher up the agenda. These eco-friendly advancements, from advanced green propulsion systems to sustainable onboard materials and carbon footprint offsetting, are now front a centre, with boat shows , such as the annual Monaco Yacht Show, dedicating an entire exhibition to sustainable initiatives. This year will see further commitments and more alternative solutions coming to the fore. 

With more brokerages promoting the sustainability features of their yachts, designers and builders are integrating more alternative solutions to the businesses and brands servicing the industry. Every stakeholder should address the industry’s environmental impact and how they can minimise this in 2023 and beyond. 

5 – New technology 

The technology used onboard superyachts today and in recent years has developed extensively. This year we will see this continue, improving and enhancing the yacht experience. In terms of everyday technology, smart yachts will be the norm, increasing efficiency and the onboard experience. We have already seen the dawn of paperless yachts with charts and the increased uptake in cloud-based platforms. 

In terms of other yachting 2023 technologies, the role of AI is picking up the pace throughout the industry, specifically through developments within design and navigational technology. Alongside AI, the realms of VR are also gaining momentum within the industry, with uses also in yacht design and entertainment onboard. This year will see even more innovative entertainment solutions for onboard experiences, enabling a more immersive yachting experience. 

6 – Emerging markets 

The past couple of years has seen a general shift in the interest in the yachting sector, partly driven by the growing number of Ultra-High-Net-Worth Individuals over the past couple of years. The global number of UHNWIs peaked at more than 400,000 individuals in 2021, according to the Wealth-X report. While the number of UHNWIs dipped by around 6%  in 2022 (to 392,410) due to economic and political volatility, the number of global UHNWIs remains high compared to a decade ago. 

Source: Wealth-X

While North America and Europe remain the world’s largest yacht consumers, 2023 yacht industry trends point to new and emerging markets. These include Southeast Asia, where leading brokerages are now expanding to. Other noteworthy markets are Japan and Canada, with industry experts forecasting enhanced levels of growth. Alongside these emerging markets, particular sectors within the industry look favourable, such as the sailing and catamaran yacht markets. 

7 –  GenZ influence 

The Forbes 400 list last year identified 10 billionaires under 40. Over the next two decades, the average age of superyacht owners is predicted to be between 35 and 45. More younger clients will enter the 2023 yacht industry , whether for charter or purchase, and the influence of Gen Z will change the face of yachting. 

The demands and experiences sought by this new target audience differ from the yachting industry’s traditional target audience. Younger clients demand bespoke and different design features with more innovative technology and a focus on wellness features. The use of the yacht will also change to meet this shift in the target audience, whether the vessel is used for remote working, adventure, or even philanthropy projects. 

8 – Design tweaks 

This year, 2023 yacht trends show that there will be further design shifts within the industry. The importance of sustainability and the need to conserve our oceans will continue to filter through to design. For designers to get ahead, they will need to use a more circular approach to design, using sustainable and responsible materials. Biophilic design will be more prominent throughout the industry, maximising natural light and merging the exterior and interior spaces onboard. 

The younger generation will drive many of these design changes in how they want to use their yachts. For example, many expedition trips are usually longer; therefore, comfort will move higher up the agenda, replacing the traditional desire for a yacht as a status symbol. Clients will want to feel more at home and therefore include increased personalisation within the design, creating spaces where clients can switch off and feel comfortable. 

The use of new technologies will also impact design features, predominately within the entertainment sector. Gone are standard AV systems; new entertainment technology concepts will evolve this year. 

Relevance Yacht is an award-winning, full-service luxury digital marketing agency that works with the world’s leading luxury yacht brands. Our 360 marketing services include branding, S EO, paid and social advertising, media buying, social media, influencer marketing, PR, content marketing, and CRM . We help create a digital marketing strategy that aligns with current yachting 2023 industry trends. Contact Relevance Yacht to learn more.

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Egyptian Prime Minister orders completion of yacht tourism strategy

> Subscriber-only , By David Robinson 2021-08-09T13:12:00+01:00

New plan aims to optimise use of Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts

The 228-berth Marassi Marina recently opened for business

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostaffa Madbouly has requested that the recently prepared strategy to develop yacht tourism on the country’s 2,400km of Mediterranean and Red Sea coast be completed by the end of this month, according to various local media reports.

With tourism being a key element in Egypt’s economy, the country is keen to make more use of its coastline for marine tourism. The strategy on the marine tourism sector was compiled based on directives presented by President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi and Madbouly. Its objective is to optimise the value of the two coasts, tourist resorts and their respective beaches, as well develop new facilities for yachts.

Yacht tourism is seen as a particular opportunity to expand Egypt’s tourism industry and the aim is to implement the new strategy as soon as it is completed. Tourism Minister Khaled El-Anani recently emphasised the country’s 2,400km coastline and the economic benefits that yacht tourism can provide through transit and docking fees, taxes, fuel sales and maintenance fees.

He said: “The average spending of yacht tourists could be 94% higher than other travellers.” The Minister indicated that yachting in the Mediterranean is highly valued and worth many millions of dollars, plus yachts help create jobs both directly and indirectly in the travel and service sectors.

Kamel El-Wazir, Egypt’s Transport Minister, commented that: “The government’s strategy should include a unified pricing policy and discounts to attract ships and yachts.” He stressed the importance of upgrading the efficiency of tourist ports and establishing yacht marinas, plus the need for a yacht tourism marketing plan.

A new electronic portal is due to be launched to simplify the issuing of permits, procedures and invoices for companies active in marine tourism. This new portal will serve as a new digital platform to help underpin the development of yacht tourism such as managing processes and obtaining security permits through a single website.

Egypt’s Mediterranean coast extends to 995km and the Red Sea coast 1,941km. In addition there is the Nile River on which a lot of leisure boating takes place and on which new facilities are being developed or are planned at a number of locations such as Aswan.

Developing new marinas is a key element of the new strategy and a number of projects are under construction or being considered. On the Sinai Peninsula, a new marina is being developed at Dahab, and Marassi marina, a 228-berth facility 140km west of Alexandria, was recently opened.

A new marina is also being considered on the Red Sea coast between Hurghada, already a major tourism centre with a marina, and Sahl Hasheesh.

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The Egyptian government is keen to promote yacht tourism along its coast

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Visit Florida’s Playbook: Tourism CEO on Marketing, Conventions and Luring Californians

Dawit Habtemariam , Skift

April 28th, 2024 at 8:00 AM EDT

Florida wants to show the world the tourism opportunities the state has to offer.

Dawit Habtemariam

Leaders of Travel: Skift C-Suite Series

What are the top trends impacting hotels, airlines, and online bookings? We speak to the executives shaping the future of travel.

Visit Florida is about to jump start tourism to its overlooked hidden gems in its northwestern region. The destination marketing organization was awarded a $10.5 million grant earlier this month to promote the eight counties in that region, said Visit Florida CEO and President Dana Young.

Young spoke with Skift about the grant, emerging travel trends in the state, how Los Angeles became a top inbound market, visa wait times, and more.

This interview was edited for clarity and length.

$10.5 Million to Drive Tourism to Northwest Florida

Skift: Visit Florida was recently awarded $10.5 million from Triumph Gulf Coast, a state-funded non-profit, to promote its northwestern region.

Dana Young: All eight counties that were included in the group of counties that were deemed impacted by the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill many years ago. All of those counties came together with support of their county commissions and they partnered with Visit Florida to get this grant. 

Northwest Florida is so beautiful, sort of what you would think of old Florida, but beaches in that area, which we call the Florida Panhandle, are absolutely magnificent and uncrowded and certainly not as developed as you would see in South Florida. The counties are geographically large, but they’re less populated, some are more rural. It’s just a different feel up there. 

What’s your marketing strategy for this hidden gem?

We’re going to do a two-pronged marketing approach that aims to level out seasonality and introduce that region to new markets around the U.S. There’s going to be a regional campaign called “Adventure within Reach” that highlights adventure travel opportunities in all eight counties. 

The second prong is we’re developing individual marketing programs for each of the eight counties in coordination with their DMO to highlight the specific things that they want to show to the rest of the country.

What are some other campaigns you have in the works?

We did get $5 million in our budget this year, specifically earmarked for nature-based travel and trails and trail towns. We started this campaign last year. Many people do not realize that Florida has over 15,000 miles of trails, and they aren’t just hiking trails. They are hiking, biking, kayaking, paddle boarding, scuba diving, horseback riding. We even have a fishing trail that’s launched. Focusing on those adventure activities, definitely a push for us.

We are definitely seeing a real trend with impulse travel, people that are just able to get up and go. We are really looking to target these millennials and young adults that are impulse travelers with campaigns that are focused on increasing desirability and bookings in the spring months.

NAACP Travel Advisory’s Impact on Conventions

Last year, the NAACP put a travel advisory on Florida. Skift Meetings reported on a wave of conventions pulling out of the state due to its controversial laws. What was the impact on Florida’s events calendar?

My understanding just from conversations with the DMO heads around the state is that for any meetings that were canceled for any reason, there were three or four lined up to take their place. In 2023, revenue was up by 13% and grew faster for meetings and convention bookings than for leisure bookings. So I think that those sorts of advisories are publicity stunts more than anything. 

Latin America See Strong Rebound, But Visa Wait Times Aren’t Helping

How is Florida’s Latin American tourism source market performing? Has there been an impact from the long visitor visa wait times?

Latin America is really doing great. Mexico is particularly a shining star right now. Mexican visitation is the highest that we have seen since we started tracking those numbers.

The visa wait time issue is still very, very real and very, very significant in its impact to us. Florida is disproportionately impacted by this because we have such a huge level of visitation from Latin America. 

Brazil tourism recently reached a million. That’s the first time since 2019 that we’ve gotten to that level. A lot of those are new visa holders. 

I have met with the State Department on numerous occasions in person to talk about the wait times and what they’re doing. And after those meetings, it’s kind of funny, the wait times will go down in some markets then a few months later they’re back up. So I don’t know what’s going on over there, but they certainly can do better.

Tourism Recovery of Fort Myers Since Hurricane Ian

In the fall of 2022, Hurricane Ian devastated Lee County, home of Fort Myers. How has that area’s tourism sector recovered? I know it brought lots of negative publicity and destruction.

The negative earned media was huge. It was about $164 million in earned media because what they did is just show the destruction over and over again.

I was down there about six months ago and spent three days touring around the areas and they are actually doing well. So visitation is up, but they’re off about 29% from pre-hurricane 2022. But given that they have had sort of a limited number of accommodations that were open, they’ve been gradually reopening, that’s pretty darn good. 

As of April 11th, 77% of hotel rooms are back open and the airport saw a massive 29% increase this March compared to last year. They’ve got some new properties that have opened. There’s a brand new resort, Margaritaville Resort, on Fort Myers Beach that is stunning.  Everything’s trending in the right direction.

Californians Flock to Florida

During the pandemic, Florida wasn’t locked down for too long and did not stop marketing. Fast forward, what have been the long-term consequences of this?

Our numbers have been really just remarkable since 2019. We’re up 10.2% in travel spending from 2019. We’ve seen an increase in our domestic market share, which largely came from California. So that’s kind of fun. 

Prior to 2020, we had really done no marketing in California. We’ve not done any marketing in Los Angeles or on the West Coast, just because typically folks from California were vacationing in Hawaii or Mexico for warm weather vacations. But during the pandemic in 2020 and early 2021, we started marketing in certain cities in California and Oregon and Washington. 

LA has gone from not even on the radar to one of our top 10 inbound markets. They were looking for freedom and they found it here in Florida.

Florida’s Michelin Stars Attract Culinary Tourism

Like Discover Atlanta , Visit Florida partnered with Michelin to review local cuisines. What’s the payoff?

We are entering our third year of our partnership with Michelin. Orlando, Miami and Tampa each invested $150,000 and Visit Florida invested $150,000.

Prior to our partnership with Michelin, 37% of respondents in a survey that we do saw Florida as having unique local cuisine. Two years into our partnership with Michelin, 51% of respondents see Florida as having unique local cuisine.

When we entered into this, we wanted to make sure we were highlighting cuisine throughout the entire state, not just those three cities. We launched two different culinary based video series highlighting cuisine all over Florida. They’ve been extremely popular.

Has the Michelin Guide helped attract culinary talent to Florida?

Absolutely. We’re seeing chefs move to Florida from other cities because they see opportunity to get a star. A lot of restaurants are opening. Look, I mean that improves the quality of life for Floridians and visitors.

Visit Florida on TikTok

Congress just passed a bill that gives TikTok 12 months to find a new owner or be banned in the U.S. Is Visit Florida on TikTok ?

We were significantly ahead of the legislative push that a lot of states, including Florida, had. We just decided that that was not a platform that we wanted to use and we stopped using it and we’ve seen absolutely no impact to our reach.

We just feel like we were the smartest ones in the room. We did it early and we’ve already made other plans. A lot of state tourism boards are going to be struggling to fill that hole where as we did it very mindfully way back.

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Tags: california , florida , rural tourism , tourism , travel leaders , visa , visit florida

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