“Yacht congestion again,” said Wang Xiaoqiang, a yacht captain, as he gestured towards the line of yachts waiting to depart from a wharf in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province. Boasting over 1,400 yachts, Sanya has the highest number of yachts in the country. Yachts sail on the sea in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province.
(People’s Daily Online/Niu Liangyu) Long-time residents of Sanya aren’t surprised by the traffic, as it’s coming from the Hongzhou yacht wharf, the busiest wharf in Sanya. “Over 10 years ago, this place was a fishing wharf. With many fishing boats docking here, the wharf smelled fishy, causing discomfort in citizens and tourists,” said Cui Xiaojin, director of the market development center of Hainan Hongzhou Yacht Industry Development and Investment Group.
The company transformed the fishing wharf into a yacht wharf. The yacht wharf initially operated on a membership basis, as yachts were seen as luxury items and yacht sailing was a pursuit limited to a select few. Changes began to occur around the year 2014.
Yachts sail on the sea in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province. (People’s Daily Online/Meng Fansheng) Some yacht owners realized they could offset maintenance costs by renting out their yachts during idle periods, said Cui. This rental model started to gain popularity, allowing yacht owners to reduce costs and tourists to enjoy yacht trips without the need to purchase their own.
This business opportunity led to an influx of invest.