Turkish yacht sector eyes record $1.7 bln export

ISTANBUL

After witnessing a sharp rise amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Turkish yacht sector is eyeing to reach a record export of $1.7 billion in 2022, an expert has said.

“The demand for Turkish mega and smaller yachts has soared in the last three years,” Cem Seven, the head of the Turkish Ship, Yacht and Services Exporters’ Association (GYHİB), told the daily Milliyet on Aug. 19.

According to data obtained by Seven, the worth of Turkish marine vessels’ export was $1 billion in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic.
Due to the demand, the number jumped to $1.3 billion in 2020 and $1.6 billion in 2021.

“In the first seven months of this year, we exported marine vessels worth $722 million. The target of 2022 is $1.7 billion,” it added.

Proudly saying that Türkiye is exporting sea vessels to around 133 countries in the world, mega yachts are topping the list of the vessels exported.

The rest of the list includes “fishing boats, tugboats, ferries, auxiliary vessels and arctic sea vessels.”

“Pandemic has changed the vacation-style of rich people. They opt to spend time on their yachts rather than accommodating at luxury hotels,” Seven said, adding that this mentality increased the demand for the production of Turkish-made yachts.

The expert also reminded Turkish yacht companies would be promoting their products at the upcoming Monaco Yacht Show and SMM Hamburg Expo.

“Another show the companies will attend is the Norfishing Expo in Norway,” he added.