Yachts moored at the CICPE Sanya International Yacht Exhibition Area.

Visitors viewed yachts inside the exhibition hall.

A Russian news anchor took a look at a China-made super-yacht in the exhibition hall.

On Apr. 15, the eyes of the global yachting industry were turned towards Hainan as the Sanya International Yacht Exhibition Area of the China International officially opened. The exhibition attracted leading brands from major yacht-producing countries worldwide, including Lagoon, Jeanneau, and Beneteau from France; Ferretti and Azimut from Italy; Princess, Williams, and Sunseeker from the UK; Bavaria and Hanse from Germany; and Sea Ray and Monterey from the US, along with over 90 domestic and international yacht manufacturers and yacht-related companies.

This year's expo featured approximately 18,000 square meters of land-based exhibition space and 148,800 square meters of water-based exhibition space, bringing together large numbers of internationally renowned yacht brands. A total of 200 yachts, including five superyachts over 80 feet in length, are on display this year. Twenty-four products made their debut, and over 90 yacht and yacht-related companies participated, setting new scale and internationalization records.

Many brands chose to launch their latest yacht models during the CIFIT. Domestic brands such as Huanzhu, All Heart, AYANA, Qihang, Haoyun, Dayu Shipbuilding, Sea To World, Palm Bay, and XIPHIAS 75 showcased new global debuts, while international brands including the British Princess S72, German Bavaria, and Polish Delphi made domestic debuts.

At this exhibition, domestic yacht companies continued to take advantage of the Consumer Goods Expo platform to showcase their brand characteristics and advantages. Dalian’s Huanzhu Company brought the GT-35D hardtop American-style center console fishing boat to the event, stating that the boat has a long range and excellent value, allowing boaters to quickly reach fishing spots and go on long-distance sea cruises.

In recent years, Sanya has developed as a world-class yacht tourism and consumer center, an internationally renowned yacht exhibition and trading center, and a yacht innovation service center, resulting in a year-on-year increase in the scale of the local yacht industry. The Hainan Free Trade Port's ‘zero tariff’ policy for yachts, along with and other preferential policies, have injected strong momentum into Sanya's yacht industry.

By the end of 2025, the Sanya Central Business District had attracted 124 yacht industry chain enterprises, including 24 new companies in 2025, representing a year-on-year increase of 173%. In October 2025, the ‘Special Rules for Yacht Technology and Inspection of Hainan Free Trade Port (Interim) (2025)’ officially came into effect, explicitly allowing certain eligible yachts to increase passenger capacity from 12 to 26 people. This opened up new space for the development of Sanya's ‘yacht+’ industry.

Currently, Sanya has five completed yacht marinas boasting 1,060 berths, and a total of over 1,415 locally registered yachts, ranking among the highest number in the country. In 2025, Sanya-registered yachts made 225,600 trips, setting a new record.

On April 15th, the ‘High-End Customization Empowers Inbound Tourism, Creating a New Benchmark for World-Class Island Resorts’ seminar was held in Sanya. Zhang Qi, executive vice president of the Shanghai Tourism Industry Association, believes that Sanya, as a tropical coastal vacation city, possesses unique natural advantages and an international consumer environment, positioning the area to become a yacht tourism consumer center and a hub for the industry chain in the Asia-Pacific region.

(Photos: Wang Chenglong, Hainan Daily)