Words of Wisdom from Colin Dawson, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Superyacht Association (Part 2) ( 2014/04/01 )
The yachting industry in the Asia Pacific region has started to grow quickly. We are honoured to share with you words of wisdom by Colin Dawson, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Superyacht Association (APSA). In this issue, Colin will continue to share with us his valuable opinion on the development of yachting industry in the Asia Pacific region and the problem of shortage in berthing facilities in Hong Kong.
Despite all the favourable ingredients in Hong Kong and the whole of Asia Pacific, according to Colin’s professional opinion, there is still a lot of room for improvement for us to seize the golden opportunities lying before us.
“I think in order to attract more super yachts to visit Hong Kong we must have facilities which can allow them to berth here. It is extremely important that we provide facilities the captains desire. However, one should also consider the fact that there is a difference between the facilities which suit resident yachts and visiting yachts, and developments such as The Baroque on Lamma will be very well suited to resident yachts. Yacht owners are, after all, influential people in business. They have huge potential in bringing vast inward investment to Hong Kong and we want them to see Hong Kong as a favourable place to do business. By making it easier for a yacht and crew to stay here we increase our chances of owners looking favourably in Hong Kong.”
“In my opinion, Hong Kong is a vibrant happening place where people are keen to visit. As one of the major cities in the world it has an extremely friendly tax regime as well as good rule of law. We do not even have to market ourselves for yachts to come here, but still we will have to solve the berthing problem and the old fashioned and restrictive crew immigration and cruising permit policies will surely need to be reviewed, but all in all I think Hong Kong is already a very good advertisement for itself.”
To cope with one of the core challenges (which is the lack of berthing facilities), The Baroque on Lamma (BoL) has come up with an innovative project where nature conservation, property development, hotel development and a marina are all integrated into one, an idea which Colin has described as “very exciting”.
“It is certainly a very exciting project though I can tell the main challenge for The Baroque on Lamma is that there are many people who do not have the facts and do not understand the project enough. I think by understanding more about the project, these people’s view will change. It is extremely important for the public to integrate into the development of these significant marina facilities and to understand the value of having it.”
“There is a constant talk about yachts being for the rich minority, the actual fact is that the economic value is huge, the ability for yachting industry to contribute to the community is enormous, yet these facts have not got across to the government or the public. Take The Baroque on Lamma as an example, I think the way it integrates conservation with the need for Hong Kong to have more marina space is innovative. However, it is also important for the message to get across that The Baroque on Lamma is not just another development which does not suit the action to the words.”
In the next issue, Colin will continue his sharing on the discussion that yachting being a privilege only enjoyed by the rich, and the possible community and economic benefits likely to be brought by the yachting industry to Hong Kong. |
 Colin Dawson, Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Superyacht Association (APSA).  |
