Hong Kong’s Yachting Economy needs holistic, dedicated leadership and proper segmentation of projects to deliver both financial and public benefits.

Background

Building on Hong Kong’s world-class marine, logistics, finance and professional service capabilities, Members of Project Chambers support the strategic initiative to float Hong Kong’s Yachting Economy.

The concept draws on Hong Kong’s unique strengths as an international travel hub, its scenic shoreline, and its tourism and cultural assets while supporting deeper engagement within the Greater Bay Area.

The Yachting Economy has already received support in Hong Kong’s 2025 Policy Address which is again reflected in the city’s upcoming first Five-Year Plan, with benefits identified across the economy – including employment, national development, Greater Bay Area growth and community access to water-based leisure and cultural activities.

Combined with a properly phased implementation plan, this programme initiative can deliver near-term public and financial benefits, while incrementally advancing high-quality, longer-term infrastructure development that has long been a hallmark of Hong Kong’s success.

The programme’s success and public support will depend on four tactical priorities:

• Establishing single, Bureau-level responsibility for the programme
• Launching yachting attraction pilot projects that deliver quick wins, build stakeholder engagement, and demonstrate financial benefits
• Communicating progress on “indirect yachting” components that contribute to wider Hong Kong interests including talent development and youth employment, and
• Ensuring early delivery of community access to waterfront developments.

Creating Leadership Through A Yachting Economy Commission

A “single voice” is immediately needed to provide clarity on the Yachting Economy’s goals, plans and oversight. This is essential given the complexity of stakeholders, interested members of the public, and the international community Hong Kong aspires to serve.

The scale of marina, industrial, residential, property and infrastructure development warrants Bureau-level Government leadership, supported by Department-level expertise across the many roles and deliverables required over a multi-decade programme.

One similar body has repeatedly delivered excellent results: the Harbourfront Commission. Modeling on this success formula, a Yachting Economy Commission should be established. Likewise, leadership of this programme is best placed with the Development Bureau, reporting to the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit to ensure timely execution, while supporting future operational responsibilities under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau in coordination with the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau.

Together, these three Bureaus should form the overarching planning framework for various deliverables, including core Yachting Economy objectives, while integrating components such as urban development, buildings, labour, education, marine maintenance, supply and logistics chains, sport, and event opportunities. The programme success lies in smooth execution of many incremental projects that deliver a holistic outcome in the future.

Commission membership would ideally include key government departments alongside public and professional stakeholder bodies. The Commission should also engage respected, independent individuals who can add credibility to its strategic direction and communicate towards the wider community’s interests throughout the estimated decades-long programme.

The Yachting Economy Commission should coordinate requirements, direction, public engagement and general oversight in collaboration with the Harbourfront Commission. Formation of a powerful Commission can help make the Yachting Economy real for all Hong Kong citizens by emphasising its broad-ranging benefits and directing sustained engagement to secure public buy-in.

A key responsibility of the Commission would be to clearly explain how the Yachting Economy benefits all Hong Kongers, and strengthens the city’s role as a new specialty business hub for the Greater Bay Area that supports and contributes to national development goals. This work will be essential to counter perceptions that the investment serves only the “privileged class” and widens the city’s wealth gap. Under the Commission, several Task Forces should be established, each with specific areas of focus. For example:

• Development of highly targeted superyacht mooring – which can generate high economic value through related family office investments and corporate office growth, delivering taxable revenues underpinned by international recognition.
• Development of marinas, property and infrastructure – which creates professional, construction, engineering, marine and maintenance jobs across various Hong Kong business sectors.
• Development of yachting-related service sectors – which would bring economic opportunities to some of Hong Kong’s underemployed areas by activating harbourfront and coastal communities and increasing the numbers of visitors and events. This effect has been demonstrated in yachting hotspots around Europe, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean and Australia/New Zealand.

The Development Bureau, via the new Yachting Economy Commission, should monitor progress via a balanced scorecard that tracks revenue, return on investment, tourism impact, employment, education and public use against milestone targets by pursuing an incremental strategy.

Hong Kong’s yachting economy proposition is well positioned as a regional strength, supported by its scenic coastline, historically robust marine support capabilities, and capacity to serve the Greater Bay Area pleasure-vessel industry. Recent loosening of GBA visitor travel restrictions of leisure vessels announced by China State Council in May 2026, together with longer-term plans for development of some 2,000 berthing facilities, further strengthens the case for early action.

Three Pilot Projects

Accelerating a selection of projects carefully chosen from previously developed marina-based concepts would build public confidence. These pilots must be aligned to a long-term strategy, with each project linked to an associated revenue to demonstrate potential return-on-investment. We encourage the Yachting Economy Commission to consider three such pilot projects:

City Centre Superyacht Berths

In 2016, a scaled marina installation proposed the development of superyacht berths centrally located near the Convention Centre. Reclamation-free construction of a cost-effective, Mediterranean-style 10 berth facility could be completed within a two-year period beginning in 2027, making the programme a tangible generator of revenue and investment.

Notably, there is a significant lead time to get a new port onto the superyacht global cruising calendar. Once announced, such a Hong Kong development would complement ongoing Harbourfront and Family Office planning, with sufficient lead time to contribute yacht arrival results during financial years 2027–2029. In comparison, locating superyacht berths by the airport alone may not draw material interest from owners (other than for storage) given the facility’s distance from key city attractions nor contribute to the tourism spectacle of seeing and photographing such vessels up close.

Potential City Centre Superyacht Visiting Moorings Mediterranean style, no reclamation requirement. Credit: David Rees, Aug 2026

"Marinas around the world are destinations ..." City Centre Mediterranean Mooring, Monaco. Credit: South China Morning Post, 6 Mar 2025

Shau Kei Wan Public Marina

Most vibrant shoreline cities feature attractive public marinas that showcase urban waterfront integration, support balanced local lifestyles, and lower the entry cost of boating as a complement to sporting club membership options.

Incrementally creating a public marina using only a portion of the existing Shau Kei Wan Typhoon Shelter could make use of surplus mooring capacity while enlivening the community at the eastern end of the 13 km Hong Kong Harbourfront Walk. Revitalising the shelter by introducing public yachting facilities will support Aldrich Bay Park and Promenade’s food-and-beverage offers as well as breathing fresh wind into the sails of nearby boatyard businesses.

Shau Kei Wan Typhoon Shelter Credit: David Rees, 2026

Opportunity Shau Kei Wan Aldrich Bay public marina. Credit: David Rees, 2026

Eco-friendly Fixed Buoy Anchorages

Complementing the Marine Department’s recent designation of 5 visiting yacht and pleasure vessel anchorages in Stanle Bay, Tai Tam Bay, Repulse Bay, Three Fathoms Cove and Tai O, a fixed-buoy anchoring system could further activate alternative tourism visits to more diverse island heritage communities – including Cheung Chau, Clearwater Bay, Po Toi, Port Shelter and Tung Ping Chau. New employment opportunities in all of them could include sampan shore-access services for visiting yachts and local boats alike, provide a centralised Hong Kong Tourist Bureau reservation service for fixed swing moorings, and advise visitor referrals to local heritage guides.

Mindful selection of anchorage locations and addition of floating pier extensions for local tour operators would help regulate visitor pressure in over-touristed marine parks, while preventing seabed damage due to frequent anchoring wherever the buoy systems are installed.

Distributing the benefits of the Yachting Economy Superyacht and Pleasure Vessel anchorage options. Credit: David Rees, 2026

Eco-friendly fixed moorings and piers Deep Water Bay, Hong Kong. Credit: David Rees, 2021

Marina-Oriented Development Strategy

At the same time, building a functioning yachting economy necessitates large, indirect interdependencies and the development of related business frameworks. For example, the MTRC perfected Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) under its “Rail + Property” model. Similarly, planners should develop a “Marina + Property” model for Marina-Oriented Development (MOD), creating a new blueprint to maximise limited shoreline resources.

To ensure marina success, a pragmatic planning approach is essential – with practical, economical and barrier-free support for boat owners and crews. Yacht management offices, engineering and maintenance yards, and logistics access must be integrated alongside recreational club and residential development, built on a foundation of underlying funding to realise the strategy. Utilisation of distant surplus industrial property far from the waterfront would neither practically nor adequately meet the real requirements or economics of a functioning yachting industry.

Broader Economic Benefits

Contemporary pleasure vessels, cruising experiences, and safety & hospitality needs will bring specialised skills to the forefront of Hong Kong’s labour market. The city is well positioned to establish a Northeast Asia regional hub for specialty yachting services, built on training pathways that differ from traditional seafarer and mariner qualifications.

To nurture this new talent pool, Hong Kong’s universities – as well as VTC, IVE and THEi – could deliver bespoke curricula in yacht management, hospitality, modern yachting technology and boat automation. This would position Hong Kong as a leading centre for training, recruiting and growing employment of skilled, young, yachting professionals working both locally and throughout the Asia Pacific region.

Hong Kong is also well placed, both geographically and commercially, to support yacht inventories, logistics, marine parts, amenities, entertainment supply and other services that form part of today’s yachting ecosystem. Clearer communication of these opportunities will help SMEs, industry suppliers, hoteliers, communities and employers plan and capture market opportunities under a coherent strategy.

Greater recreational use of Hong Kong’s iconic harbour can become an even greater defining image for tourism and the wider community. New sporting uses and events could emanate from the Causeway Bay, Shau Kei Wan and Kwun Tong typhoon shelters, while also connecting with Central and Wan Chai waterfront event spaces, as well as the Kai Tak Sports Park and Cruise Terminal. Together, these locations could fully embrace water-based experiences against the backdrop of one of the world’s most recognisable skylines. An active harbour continues to be part of the work of the Harbourfront Commission leveraging shoreline use and future business development for entertainments, food and beverage.

Mega Events

Many coastal cities host water-based mega events that build on their unique maritime and yachting cultures. These events take years to launch and grow, so planning should begin now. Amsterdam, Boston and Sydney offer inspiration and useful benchmarks for what Hong Kong could achieve. Such events would directly tie into the HKSAR government’s objective of increasing the number of mega-events in the city.

Planning of mega events is already within the purview of the Harbourfront Commission and Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau. That said, work of the new Yachting Economy Commission could contribute greatly by widening maritime options and attractions available.

Sail Amsterdam 2025 Harbour Parade Activate the Harbour, 5 yearly Mega event. Credit: David Rees, 2025

Sail Amsterdam 2025, Free Visitor Boardings 5 days, 60 tall ships, 2.5m visitors. Credit: David Rees, 2025

Charting the Course Forward

Building on a combination of geographic and historic strengths, as well as having strong political leadership armed with a vision, Hong Kong is ideally placed to begin its Yachting Economy voyage.

To sail onwards from rhetoric to reality, the best approach would be to immediately establish a Yachting Economy Commission, followed by distinctive pilot projects for city centre super yacht berthing, accessible public marinas, and eco-friendly anchoring in scenic heritage locations. These pilots will serve as significant, inherently achievable, waypoints to launch the city’s Yachting Economy and begin spreading economic benefits throughout the city and Greater Bay Area.

This incremental approach would kick start the visionary launch of the “flotilla” with the early arrival of a few “boats” delivering short-term project value, while parallel work would advance deeper systemic benefits, contnuously transforming Hong Kong’s water-based economy over the coming decades.

Although the development and subsequent evolution will take some time, all of Hong Kong stands to benefit from the continual arrival of a full flotilla of new projects and initiatives ever-increasing support for the city’s water-based economy.

Project Chambers (follow), by Dan Voellm, Alan Child, David Rees, John Berry

Project Chambers is a not-for-profit advocacy group comprised of professionals who share a unique breadth of experience and expertise in all aspects of the built environment, and its technical and supporting infrastructure. For more than 30 years, our organisation has been united by a passionate commitment to the long-term sustainable development of Hong Kong, and its future as one of the world’s most livable cities.