CRI听力: Recreational Boating Economy to Develop in China

Recreational boating is a very popular leisure choice for many people overseas, but its development in China is still in the early phases. Recently, some industry organizations and the government are working together on the compilation of an industry standard for this sector.

Let's take a closer look with reporter Liu Min.



Wang Dafu is the president of Hongzhou International Pleasure Boating Group in Sanya, Hainan Province. Hainan is recently named as China's future International Tourist Island. As a president of a pleasure boat company, Wang Dafu is quite excited. He says he can't wait to see more details of the government's plans to develop Hainan's tourist infrastructure as well as the new administrative policies on yachts and powerboats.

"After I got the news about developing the island, I moved quicker to carry out our plan. I'm going to invest more. My plan was to have 100 moorings, but now my plan is one thousand. I'm going to build our pleasure boat club into the top one in China. I really do want to do this. Just take a look at the government's support; Once they make the plans, I'm going to take action right away."

According to China Cruise and Yachting Industry Association, the pleasure boating tourism sector may see skyrocketing growth over the next three years in China, as more and more Chinese tourists opt to travel by such boats for leisure and holidays. Since Hainan's development target is announced, top provincial official Wei Liucheng believes the pleasure boating economy is also very important for Hainan's future.

"The private boat industry in Hainan has just started. I believe very soon Hainan will probably seize the first chance to develop this part of the economy."

In China, private pleasure boating as the newly emerging market is still far from mature.
Currently, it stipulates that the piloting license can't be used cross provinces. It's hard for imported ships to get licenses, and the infrastructure construction on harbors still lack unified standards. Foreigners are limited to captain their private boats in China. Erick Li from Hongkong is a yacht piloting instructor. He hopes seaport cities like Sanya will follow Hongkong's administration method on private yachts.

"It's quite common for a business man in Hong Kong to own a private yacht or powerboat. This kind of transportation has very profound functions. If you are a businessman, you can invite your business partners, clients onboard your boat and settle the deal. You can easily break the ice, and it feels really good that many contracts are easier to get settled in this kind of atmosphere."

Manager Julian Anderson is from the Sunseeker Yacht Company. He travels to China's seaport cities very often to promote their products. Small Yachts are very popular among their customers overseas, he believes such an industry can also generate a new way of business here in China - sailing schools to train children how to sail.

"Kids, from 8 years old to 12 years old, they learn very quickly. They study immediately to learn how to manage themselves. Teamwork and you clearly learn how to work in team because your life depends on others. This kind of value, you can bring back to your normal life, to your business, to your family and even to your friends.(www.hXen.com)

This coming March, the pleasure boating economy will be a main theme at the Boao International Tourism Forum in Haikou. During the three day forum, more than 100 top luxury powerboats and private yachts will dock alongside the venue. Some industry insiders believe the development of the cruise and yachting economy will further trigger a series of industries in China to develop, including ship building and service, seaport construction and maintenance, tourism, catering, hotels as well as real estate industries.

For China Drive, I'm Liu Min.