Yacht show launched at the Pearl

Gulf Craft Inc, a manufacturer of fibreglass boat and yachts in the Middle East and Asia, launched its “Yachting Lifestyle Show” yesterday at the Pearl-Qatar. Clients, media and members of the public will be able to view a range of luxury super yachts and yachts, sport cruisers, and leisure boats from Gulf Craft’s Majesty Yachts, Oryx and Silvercraft brands at the three-day show being held in association with Gulf Craft’s Doha agents, Aurora Yachts and Speed Marine, as well as luxury lifestyle brand Tanagra. The Majesty 101 will be the largest super yacht on display. “The Qatar yacht market is a very important market to us. The country’s leisure marine market is vibrant with growing demand from private yacht owners and charter brokers, in addition to several large waterfront developments, luxury marinas and new berthing facilities coming online in the next few years – including those capable of accommodating the super yacht and mega yacht category,” says Gulf Craft chairman Mohammed bin Hussein al-Shaali. Qatar has significant waterfront projects in various stages of development. For example, Lusail City, with a number of marinas and as many as 1,500 new berthing slots under development, is expected to become a busy maritime hub and waterfront destination when completed. In the meantime, existing luxury lifestyle destinations such as the Pearl-Qatar along the coast of Doha’s prime West Bay district, already has berthing facilities available with more marina facilities planned. The country’s concentration of high net worth individuals and ultra high net worth individuals is another draw. According to a report by Credit Suisse Research Institute, Qatar has the wealthiest people in the Middle East and North Africa region, with the average wealth standing at $146,623 – a six-fold wealth increase since 2000. “Qatar is a nation with a rich sea-faring culture and therefore they do not only appreciate sailing and cruising as a recreational activity, but also have a connoisseur’s eye for well-engineered yachts built to a high finishing standard,” said al-Shaali. “With Gulf Craft’s proven 30-year track record of building yachts and boats, and exporting them worldwide, we are proud to be recognised for our efforts by our Qatari customers.” Gulf Craft chief operating officer Erwin Bamps added: “As the market leader in the Qatar market, we have a high number of yacht and leisure craft customers in this market already. “We have appointed dealers in the market to ensure strong technical and commercial support for our products and have come today to Doha to show our continuing commitment to the Qatari market, as well as to invite everyone to see some of our newest product releases.” The “Yachting Lifestyle Event” is being held at 18 La Croisette, Porto Arabia, the Pearl-Qatar and will be open to the public from 3pm to 10pm today (Friday) and from 10am to 10pm tomorrow.