| ign="center"> | | | | sector struggles to find land suitable for marinas and |
| Definitions: A "yacht" is a vessel used primarily for | | | | repair yards. Why? Because most of the |
| pleasure. Hence "motor yacht" and "sailing yacht". | | | | coastline, especially in urban areas, is controlled by the |
| A "marina" is a harbour that is purpose-designed for | | | | State or by the Port Trusts, and their statutory |
| yachts. | | | | procedures make the identification, allocation, and |
| The rising purchasing power of the rich Indians has | | | | permitting of land and water for marinas and repair |
| forced the international market to look for opportunities | | | | yards an extremely slow process. The permitting |
| in the Yachting market in India. With an economic | | | | procedures, rather than funding, is where the |
| growth of over 7%, when the rest of the world is | | | | bottleneck lies. Left to the private sector there would |
| reeling, and the growing appetite for luxury goods - | | | | have been a proliferation of marina and yacht |
| India is suddenly in everyones radar. "Ah yes," say the | | | | ancillaries industry but the government bodies have |
| commentators, "but everyone in India is poor". This is | | | | made this almost impossible. |
| not true of course, but again the power of numbers | | | | This then begs the question, is the yachting industry |
| makes the point nicely. Even if only 0.01% of the | | | | worth supporting? Well here are some comparable |
| population (i.e. 1 in 10,000) are presently ready to | | | | from the UK with its population of a mere 61 million (i.e. |
| consider buying a boat then that already represents | | | | only 5% of the size of India's) and rather inclement |
| 120,000 potential customers. This is almost exactly the | | | | weather. The statistics come from the British Marine |
| same as the total number of pleasure boats longer | | | | Federation's surveys for 2007/2008. |
| than 7.5 meters in the whole of the UK . The fact is | | | | ⢠Industry revenue for the leisure and small |
| that anyone who can afford to buy an imported | | | | commercial marine industry in the UK in 2007/2008 |
| motorcar can certainly consider buying a boat. And the | | | | was 23,250 crore rupees. |
| boat will almost certainly give him/her more pleasure. | | | | ⢠In addition to the industry revenue, the |
| But it is lack of infrastructure that is presently | | | | economic benefits of tourism-related spend in the UK |
| constraining the growth of the yachting industry. The | | | | was estimated to be a further 16,500 crore rupees. |
| motorcar industry is a valid comparison. The growth of | | | | ⢠Total employees in the UK estimated to be |
| the automobile ancillary industry was critical in the | | | | 35,200 full-time equivalent. |
| development of the industry. Yet with yachting in India | | | | ⢠The wider economic benefits of the 238 |
| the present situation is the antithesis of this. | | | | coastal marinas in the UK and the Channel Islands |
| Interestingly, in India, Yachts are being bought but their | | | | resulted in an estimated 5,250 crore rupees value of |
| are very few facilities for servicing them or for that | | | | added contributions. |
| matter sufficient berthing facilities. | | | | So the potential for India's yachting industry is huge, but |
| Although a motor-car manufacturer can find premises | | | | it is dependent on infrastructure. And infrastructure |
| for workshops and stores relatively easily, the yachting | | | | means marinas and repair yards. |