Hong Kong should urgently address its bottlenecks in developing a yacht economy by improving immigration procedures, upgrading mooring facilities and curating niche tourism itineraries following Beijing’s policy relaxation on yachts from the city sailing to mainland China, industry leaders have said.
Under Hong Kong’s current regime, visiting yachts are not required to go through designated ports for clearance and examination, but a representative has to present travel documents at the government’s pier in Central within 24 hours after entering and before leaving local waters.
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Tommy Ho Wai-lok, chairman of the Hong Kong Yachting Association, said wealthy individuals were discouraged from visiting the city by yacht as they did not wish to pass their identification documents to others due to privacy and safety concerns.
“Hong Kong can consider taking reference from the mainland ports, which provide immigration services for travellers on yachts … It can address their privacy concerns,” Ho said.
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From next month, the Hong Kong government will allow yachts to anchor at designated waters without reserving a berth at private clubs or piers.