A highly successful boat show featuring over 45 brands and 50 exhibitors from 10 countries, showcasing a total of 200 boats, including 25 premieres. Boating Sanya 2024 was held from December 5 to 8 and proved to be a significant event for the Chinese yachting sector. The show drew the participation of around 30 key industry associations, including the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA), the Leading Yacht Brokers Association (LYBRA), and the Asia-Pacific Superyacht Association (APSA). The event highlighted brands from France, the UK, Italy, Germany, Turkey, and other countries, with major names like Beneteau and Azimut taking center stage.
This year’s exhibition was titled “Raising Sails in Sanya, Boating into the Free Trade Port.” In addition to the main venue at the Sanya International Yachting Center, Boating Sanya expanded to a secondary location at the Visun Royal Yacht Club Marina. The event also celebrated the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France, incorporating elements of the Sino-French Cultural and Tourism Year.
The prominent role of boating in Sanya
Sanya has over 1,400 registered yachts, ranking among the top in the country for yacht and sailboat ownership, earning the title “City of a Thousand Yachts“. It has implemented the country’s first three policies: “no guarantee for entry,” “zero tariff on yachts,” and “yacht imports within five years”.
More than 90 yacht industry chain enterprises, including Visun Group, Bureau Veritas, Moonocean Yachts and Omnia Marine have established operations in Sanya. World-renowned yacht brands like Ferretti, Azimut, and Beneteau were prominently displayed on the water, further solidifying Sanya’s status as a leading city for yacht tourism and a popular venue for international yacht product launches, business negotiations, and events, expanding Hainan’s international “circle of friends” through yachting.
The heart of the yachting economy
In this prestigious setting, Boating Sanya takes place, a four-day event that represents the pinnacle of the local and national boating sector. “We seized the opportunity to create a leading international exhibition showcasing a variety of products, emphasizing the brand and innovative image of nautical cultural tourism in Sanya”, stated the spokesperson for the Sanya Central Affairs Administration Office. “The exhibition platform aims to attract upstream yacht industry research and design, midstream yacht trade agents, and downstream training research institutions and water activity market entities to gather, facilitating an interactive exchange and cooperative dialogue platform. This initiative will help integrate industry resources, promote the reform and innovative development of the yacht industry, and enhance Sanya’s industrial collaborative growth”.
Boating Sanya 2024 was brought to life with a series of high-profile activities, including debuts and world premieres, shows, business meetings, industry forums, and awards such as the “China Yacht Awards Ceremony”. Through this dynamic and engaging program, which included numerous conferences previously covered in another article, Boating Sanya 2024 significantly enhanced the image of the Chinese city as an active supporter of the development of the boating industry.
