Surging forward: Phuket International Boat Show championing Phuket

Posted on January 5th, 2016

Category: Absolute Hotels Absolute Resorts

The Phuket International Boat Show opening on Thursday (Jan 7) lines up millions of dollars of boats and luxury products on display at Royal Phuket Marina. Since its launch 13 years ago, the show has developed into a key marine event in Asia, marketing Phuket, Thailand and Asia to the world, and today is the longest running marine and lifestyle show in Southeast Asia.

A solid track record of business at and after the expo has put the event at the top of the list for boat dealers, brokers, marine, luxury and lifestyle products exhibitions to be at.

The boat show, however, is more than just sales.

“The Phuket International Boat Show is a platform for business and marketing. Every year at the show exhibitors have announced sales and over the the past 12 years sales at the show, and sales resulting from leads made at the show, runs into the hundreds of millions of dollars for sure,” said Andy Dowden, Managing Director of Andaman Marine Consultants, organiser of the Phuket International Boat Show.

“Understandably the goal of most exhibitors is to sell products and make new business leads, however, my goal as organiser is much more and I’m proud that the show has become an unrivalled tool to promote Phuket and Thailand, and its marine tourism industry.

“Over the last 13 years we have spread the word far and wide, have spent millions developing not just the show but also the image of Phuket as a world-class marine tourism destination,” he added.

In 2015, the Phuket International Boat Show welcomed more than 5,000 visitors over its four days and independent visitor analysis showed that 40% of those were visitors from overseas, many of which were visiting Phuket specifically for the show.

The show’s contribution to room revenues around the island is something often overlooked. As is the role of the boat show in positioning Phuket as a business and events destination.

“We have worked closely with the Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) for many years. TCEB’s goal is to promote Phuket and Thailand as a destination for business and events, and they can see the valuable role the Phuket International Boat Show has played in helping to position Phuket as such,” commented Mr Dowden.

“In addition to the lifestyle and tourism side of Phuket, the island is a key business destination and is host to more and more international events.”

TCEB statistics show that Business Tourism is an important sector for Thailand’s tourism industry with length of stay for business travellers approximately 5.6 days per person, per trip, while spending per person per day is approximately B20,000 or B108,000 per person, per trip.

“Phuket hosts more than 1,000 MICE (Meetings, Incentives,Conventions, Exhibitions) events each year and welcomes more than 100,000 international business travellers each year,” explained Mr Dowden.

“The Phuket International Boat Show is a unique example of how Phuket’s prime leisure facilities and marine tourism can combine with business to produce Southeast Asia’s largest marine and luxury lifestyle show, and the longest running show of its kind in the region,” he added.

For more information about the Phuket International Boat Show, open from January 7-10, visit PhuketBoatShow.com.