Upcoming confab raises Zhuhai status as yacht center

The first Chinese city to do so, Zhuhai will host the ICOMIA | IFBSO Congress 2020 – The 54th ICOMIA Annual Congress in June next year.

Udo Kleinitz, ICOMIA secretary general, announced on March 30 that Zhuhai was rated highly during a comprehensive assessment. ICOMIA is considered the most authoritative and influential international organization in the boating industry.

Yacht operators and industry experts will share experiences, discuss topical issues of the recreational boating industry, and network with colleagues at the conference to promote global cooperation.

The annual congress has been held in 42 member countries and regions since 1967 and coincides with the International Federation of Boat Show Organizers (IFBSO) Congress. The initial vote to hold the 2020 (54th) version in China was held in May 2017. 

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A field inspection team determined that yacht bases, hotels, and exhibition and conference facilities were at a globally advanced level. Zhuhai was also cited for rapid socioeconomic development and a promising boating industry.

Zhuhai has a long coastline and numerous islands in the nearby South China Sea. The city's yacht industry started in 2002 with the Gaolan Port Economic Zone and Pingsha Town at its core. It has become China's largest and highest-level mid-to-high-end yacht manufacturing and production base. Domestic and international yachts, spare-parts manufacturers, and agents are clustered there, contributing to a high-concentration industrial agglomeration.

Zhuhai luxury yachts [Photos courtesy Zhuhai Daily]