China News Service, Hong Kong, October 16 (Reporter Liu Yueqing) The maiden voyage ceremony of the "Guangdong Boat Going South" was held in Hong Kong on the 16th. This marks that yachts from Guangdong and Hong Kong have been able to swim in both directions following the implementation of the "Hong Kong Boats Going Northward" program in June this year. On that day, the first batch of five yachts from Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Nansha, Guangzhou docked at the Hong Kong Lantau Yacht Club.
In his speech at the ceremony, Wong Wai-lun, Acting Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR Government, pointed out that the global yacht market has continued to develop in recent years, and the luxury yacht market has expanded significantly. It is expected that the market value of the global superyacht industry will reach HK$350 billion in 2032. The SAR government is making every effort to promote the construction of four new yacht clubs, respectively at the Hong Kong International Airport, Lamma Island, Aberdeen and Hung Hom, providing a total of more than 1,100 berths. The SAR government will continue to work with all sectors of society to promote Hong Kong's development into Asia's yachting hub.
In June this year, Hong Kong launched three convenient measures to attract yachts to Hong Kong, including relaxing the requirements for visiting yachts and setting up a yacht movement monitoring system, which allows visiting yachts to sail freely in Hong Kong and anchor in designated waters without reserving berths at privately operated yacht clubs or piers; upgrade the current electronic business system to allow visiting yachts to submit information in advance; and authorize relevant mainland assessment institutions to conduct examinations and provide short-term training courses for local captains to facilitate them to obtain the qualification to sail freely in Hong Kong waters.
Mr. Sheng, the owner of the "Bailey Meishang" yacht that arrived in Hong Kong from Shenzhen on October 16, said in an interview with the media that their group set off from the Shenzhen Airport Pier at about 8 o'clock and arrived in Hong Kong waters at about 11 o'clock after port inspection. They planned to stay in Hong Kong for 2 to 3 days. Mr. Zhou, the captain who accompanied him, said that he received about two days of training on the rules of Hong Kong waters and berthing facilities in the mainland before departure. Electronic declaration, online pre-application and related approval procedures are very efficient. "I believe that as customs clearance and application procedures become more and more convenient, mainland shipowners' willingness to come to Hong Kong will increase significantly."
When meeting with the media, Secretary for Transport and Logistics of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, Margaret Chan, said that "Guangdong Boats Going South" reflects the new trend of high-end consumption and hopes to drive the development of cross-border navigation and leisure industries and help expand the high-quality living circle in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In order to further attract overseas yacht tourism consumption to Hong Kong, the Tourism Commission of the SAR Government will develop more yacht tourism routes, and the Marine Department of the SAR Government will also entrust a Hong Kong training institution to launch online courses to facilitate the assessment of overseas captains and promote the development of Hong Kong's yacht economy.
In May this year, the State Council approved the implementation of guarantee-free and temporary ship nationality registration policies for Hong Kong and Macao yachts that temporarily enter and exit the mainland through designated ports in the nine mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area and are limited to free travel in the nine mainland cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; the "Hong Kong Boats Going North" policy was implemented in June.
Chen Meibao introduced that since the launch of "Hong Kong Boats Going North", 37 Hong Kong yachts have visited the mainland. Huang Weilun said that "Hong Kong boats going north" and "Guangdong boats going south" are mutually beneficial and win-win. He believes that free travel of yachts can open up a new maritime channel for residents and tourists of Guangdong and Hong Kong.
