China's "Boat Season" Events Pays Off For Jeanneau#
Jeanneau's second-generation PRESTIGE series has its first Chinese owners
With the recent conclusion of the Hainan Rendez-Vous and the China International Boat Show, China's "boat season" has officially come to a close. Among the dozens of international yacht makers that streamed in to China for these events, hoping to pave the way for more China sales in the future, one in particular, France's Jeanneau, has already seen results. Since the beginning of April, Jeanneau sold seven boats and yachts in China -- not bad for a yacht market still in its infancy.
At the recent Hainan Rendez-Vous, Jeanneau presented its second-generation PRESTIGE 5000 yacht, selling three yachts and two sailboats over the course of the weekend-long event. The positive reaction received by Jeanneau was seen as a reflection of the increasing value of the consumer market in China, as the Chinese yacht market continues to develop and grow.
The second-generation PRESTIGE yacht series has generated a great deal of interest at recent international shows due to its clean lines and spacious interiors. This has been especially true in China, where Jeanneau's PRESTIGE 60 was awarded the "2011 Best Power Yacht" award at the Shanghai International Boat Show, confirming Jeanneau's rising status in the Chinese yacht industry. Having only become available in mainland China last year, the number of PRESTIGE 60 yachts now in operation there has increased to six, impressive sales performance for a power yacht.
As Jing Daily has previously reported, luxury-focused events such as the Hainan Rendez-Vous have given brands an opportunity to market directly to the well-heeled Chinese consumer, a demographic that's becoming very rapidly educated on yachts and private aviation via an ever-increasing array of niche magazines. With Jeanneau's success so far this year providing a sort of validation for the market, and interest in nurturing the yachting industry as far north in China as Tianjin, we can expect even more events to continue to focus on yachts and private aviation, reflecting the growing demand for these secondary luxury categories among affluent Chinese.