Immigration rules a barrier

The recently elected chairman of Marine Alliance (Thailand) (MAT) plans to follow his predecessor's policy to lobby for more relaxed and streamlined immigration procedures for yacht owners.

Phuket is expected to be the most popular destination for yacht owners in Southeast Asia in the next two years once the number of operational marinas on the island increases to five from two at the moment, said Grenville Fordham, who is also the managing director of Image Asia Events.

According to Mr Fordham, Phuket's third marina, the Royal Phuket Marina, is to be opened later this year, while two others are under development with construction to be completed in two years.

Currently, many yacht owners avoid Phuket and instead berth their yachts in Langkawi and other sites in Malaysia because of procedures enforced by local immigration authorities in Phuket.

According to local authorities, Mr Fordham said, any crew member of a vessel that enters Thai territory water has to pay a bond of 20,000 baht. The person gets the bond back on leaving the country.

The bond requirement had driven away many yacht owners to other destinations even though they would prefer to come to Phuket, he said.

``The Malaysian government, for example, has made it very easy for yacht owners to sail to Langkawi, and seven new marinas are being developed in other parts of the country,'' he said.

Last year, the MAT successfully lobbied the government to eliminate the 200% import duty on yachts. Since that time, 35 new yachts have been imported into the country, while local boatbuilding firms have been seen developing yachts in Pattaya, Koh Samui, and Phuket. International firms are also expressing an interest in developing yacht-building facilities in Thailand, according to Mr Fordham.

Building a small yacht in Thailand costs at least one million baht. This cost could go to infinity depending on the specifications, he added.

Additionally, yacht owners usually have to spend about 10% of the yacht's cost on maintenance annually.

``This industry can generate a lot of money and a lot of jobs to the Thai economy,'' he said.

Fewer than 1,000 leisure boats are registered in Thailand, but the maintenance of a yacht could generate income for up to five small businesses, according to Mr Fordham.
Bangkok Post 30 May www.bangkokpost.com
Sujintana Hemtasilpa