Media Release – 21 October 2019
Port Denarau Marina in conjunction with Tourism Fiji was once again part of the Monaco Yacht Show which was hosted at the iconic Port Hercules in Monaco late September 2019. The event is the world leader event for superyachting and has been hosted since 1991. Port Denarau Marina has been part of this event since the past 9 years.
This year there were five participants at the show from Fiji, Cynthia Rasch, General Manager Port Denarau Marina, Nigel Skeggs, Director Port Denarau Marina, David Jamieson, Managing Director Yacht Help, Sisa Koyamaibole and Tom Lawakeli, French Rugby Clubs as Fiji ambassadors.
For the first time, Port Denarau Marina collaborated with Tourism Tahiti to bring Monaco Yacht Shows first ever South Pacific stand. This long waited partnership finally came to fruition as both Tahiti and Fiji offer world-class yachting cruising grounds for superyachts which is rich in culture, people, colorful reefs with pristine waters and marine life, offering total privacy away from shutterbugs and paparazzis.
The Australian Pavilion also had a strong presence promoting the South Pacific with representation from Australia, Cook Islands, Indonesia and PNG, emphasizing the need to work together cohesively.
The South Pacific stand was once again the highlight of the show with our Fijian warriors, the Tahitian and Cook Island dancers bringing a hype of activity around our stands as they walked the show and showcased our uniqueness. The afternoons brought many nostalgic visitors and guests to our stand as they came in to taste the familiar kava or introduce it to their friends, owners and crew.
The America’s cup trophy was also on display in the neighboring stand, serving as a reminder to superyachts to plan their route to the South Pacific for this world event which is set to commence in 2021.
The show has been a success for Fiji and Port Denarau Marina as a large number of superyachts have indicated to include the South Pacific in their travel plans over the next two years. We noted a definite trend in visitor profile: a broader range of countries, a wider age bracket, and serious intentions to charter. It also gave the opportunity for the marina to continue with their networking efforts with brokers and agents both old and new.
An event such as the Monaco Yacht Show is important for Fiji Yachting as we try to encourage vessels to come to Fiji and to showcase the beauty and facilities that Fiji and the South Pacific have to offer. In doing so, we are able to maintain the vessels within the region for a longer period of time which helps boost the economy.
This Monaco Yacht Show featured the most impressive fleet of superyachts in its history and attracted a record-breaking number of exhibitors: 600 companies came to energize the yachting market, drawing an encouragingly vast and committed clientele to the show. For four days, yacht owners, future superyacht purchasers or charterers, decision-makers in the yachting and luxury industries attend the Monaco Yacht Show to participate in one of the most influential business networks on Earth.
We would like to thank Tourism Fiji, Fiji Foreign Affairs Office in Belgium, Fiji Kava and Sonam Designs for their contributions towards making this show a success. Port Denarau Marina continues to lead the way forward as Fiji’s premier marina and a favored destination by visiting superyachts.
