March is the year since the global Covid-19 pandemic was declared. This event changed the business reality and touched every industry, including yachting. We decided to take a closer look at the changes that have taken place in our industry over the last year.
Difficult beginnings
Spring 2020 has been difficult for every industry. It couldn’t be otherwise in the world of yachting. The yacht industry and charter activities have been halted
in most European countries for a few weeks. Shipyards, suppliers and service companies were forced to suspend their activities. In Greece, there were intense discussions on mooring fees. Their goal was to negotiate mooring discounts for the following months of the pandemic. The natural consequence of the introduced restrictions was the cancellation of yachting exhibitions and fairs. The only country that did not introduce restrictions, even after the declaration of a global pandemic in March 2020, was Sweden.
In this country, shipyards continued to operate, although sales fell significantly. Charter companies did their best to reduce the projected losses from the very beginning. Such activities were carried out, for example, in the Netherlands. Instead of refunding the money, the companies offered a voucher to use
later. Most countries have decided to close their marinas. The exception was Ireland where all marinas remained open.
Back to balance
Despite the difficulties, uncertain and difficult conditions encountered at the onset of the pandemic, the yachting industry is slowly recovering. The introduction of the restrictions was met with great criticism from the yachting industry at the very beginning. Boat owners in Italy even sent a letter to the government arguing that it was a safe practice to sail. Currently, some of the shipyards also boast an increase in turnover.
Despite the restrictions, charter companies also managed to attract customers – both yachting fans and those who wanted to experience their first yacht adventure for the first time.
Safety first and foremost
Overcoming difficulties and continuous operation of charter companies is a merit of many advantages of yachting. The most important of these is security in a pandemic
Covid-19 is a priority. Renting a yacht will allow you to spend special moments among your loved ones and beautiful nature. Other amenities are limited staff contact and independence! You will learn about these and many other advantages in the previous post.