Today, the owner who buys a yacht generally decides to charter his boat for a given period during the year so that the charter revenue compensates for the yacht’s managing costs. Chartering companies specialized in this type of business have sprung up this season and made good business! Charters in the Mumbai market range from family cruises, romantic sunset cruises, luxury yacht charters that also come with water sports, jetsking and kayaking; weekend charters on luxury yachts, corporate team building and corporate off-sites, trans-harbor travel and more!
A boat charter can take you to many places which are entirely unreachable by land… Boating can provide the exhilarating freedom that comes from sailing a lovely yacht, with the rail in the water and the spray on your face or the thrills of speed on a powerboat; it can get you closer to the ocean and make you feel alive!. Indeed, the essence of any boat charter is freedom and adventure!
The astonishing fact in the charter market is the customer – they are young (barely out of their teens), having the resources and the leeway to spend big and most importantly always seeking something new and out of the ordinary to try out. Apart from trans-harbor travel and corporate sailing that happen frequently, the kind of charters that top the list are mostly weekend charters with family and friends.
A company we spoke to commented that a lot of charters involving romantic couple cruises, anniversary celebrations and marriage proposals took place between January and February. Another company said that overall, in the last six months, charters have risen by almost double and the highest number of charters in a week has been twenty! On an average, each company’s highest number of charters per week has soared from nine in October to fourteen in March-April. The highest number of charters per week has been in the month of February (twenty). Inquiries stream in from various sources like Just Dial Services, boat shows, word of mouth and of course the online medium – the internet!
Companies have started realizing the importance of online marketing and promotions and are building websites well equipped with seo, sem and the works! The ratio of online to offline inquiries has been 7:3!
Yachts of all sizes have seen an upward swing in their charters. Compared to the big luxury motor yachts, the smaller sports speed boats and cabin cruisers are more in demand. Amongst the luxury category, sailing yachts are performing much better than the motor yachts as people want to experience the sport more than the lifestyle aspect of yachting. Along with finding out more about the boating lifestyle, there has also been a rise in inquiries for charter destinations in India. The most famous ones are the beaches along the Konkan Coast – Mandwa & Alibaug, Kashid, Kihim, Rewdanda, Srivardhan, Murud Janjira, Ganpatiphule, Rewas, Dighi, Jaigadh, Sindhudurg and Lakshadweep islands.