Mar 31, 2008

Fairline - Ready to cruise Indian waters !


There was a time when only Europe's rich & famous had yacht's as their luxury toy! Very few Indians were considered lucky & affluent if invited aboard for a yacht party. Having a yacht on Indian water was only a dream till about a couple of years back, Vijay Mallya & Gautam Singhania were one of the famous owners of yachts in India..

Indian economy has boomed in the past few years & the rich are getting richer. As the money is coming in the demand & sales of luxury product has increased. The rich & wealthy Indians has either bought a cruiser or is waiting to take delivery of one. Yachts are now being added to their collection of luxury cars & jets.


Many yacht manufacturing companies sees India as an evolving market and one that will spur growth dynamics in the years to come. Fairline is one of the companies which displayed its yachts at the Mumbai International Boat Show earlier this month. The company, which makes 38- to 78-footer yachts which seat up to 14 people on board and house a family and couple of guests on a journey, too & comes with a price tag of a cool £250,000 to £2.5 million is expecting a lot of sale in the coming months.

One of the few reason is the growth of holiday resort & destination around mumbai coast. Alibaug is one of the biggest example which have witnessed a real estate boom as an increasing number of industrialists are making these tourist hotspots their second homes.This translates into a direct demand for easier and smoother ways to commute, a mode of transport that can live up to their status.


The company feels there is a great potential in the Indian market & the Indian youth & wealthy are the one who will be taking the growth forward. But the lack of infrastructure is the biggest downfall. For eg. Developing a marina is of primary importance to have a market for boats. Lack of a marina means that maintaining and fuelling of yachts gets more expensive.

The much of anticipated increase of boat sales in India hinges on the infrastructural growth. Without berth spaces, even the most enthusiastic sailors cannot keep their own boats and even those who do manage to obtain a berth are unwilling to invest in a boat unless the after-sales are in place to ensure that their investment is maintained and well looked after by a reputable organization.

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