Even with the continued weak economy, 2010 showed some promising signs of recovery for the megayacht market. Brokerage sales finally picked up, charter bookings in Europe bounced back, and a few builders and designers signed new contracts.
Something else that picked up was Internet usage to find and read news about these yachts. Speak with any yacht builder, and chances are the management team will tell you inquiries are coming in more from their website than they are from phone calls. Our own research backs this up; we’ve had a steady increase of owners and their circle of influence registering for our site and our monthly newsletter. It’s all part of what many independent researchers have been finding over the past year: Affluent consumers feel empowered by the ability to delve into details on the Web, especially to assess product quality.
So what caught their attention in the superyacht realm? Here’s a look at the top 5 stories of the past year.
5. Since the autumn of 2008, when the Swift141 was officially revealed, there’s been high interest in this frigate-turned-yacht. “Update on Swift141” reveals why the refit will make her one of the 10 largest megayachts in the world when she’s completed.
4. “Big Yacht Deliveries Planned for 2010” drew a lot of attention, mostly due to the notable names anticipated for hand-over this year: Sycara V, Kokomo, and Cakewalk, among others.
3. Speaking of Cakewalk, the fact that “The Launch of Cakewalk, America’s Largest Yacht” is among the top 5 is no surprise. The unveiling of the largest yacht built on American soil in more than 70 years is big news, after all.
2. Sunseeker regularly attracts a lot of interest among you readers, so it’s also no surprise that “Superyacht Management Introduces New Services” has been getting regular hits since the news broke in January. The new division of Sunseeker branched out to address crewing needs and owners’ access to budgets, safety records, and other important data related to their yacht.
And the number-one story: the video of Mirabella V, which to date has drawn more than 15,000 hits. Her beauty speaks for itself.
Leave a Reply