Luxury yacht owners, Zhuhai welcomes you.
Hong Kong and Macau yachts will be able to sail and moor their pleasure boats in Zhuhai waters starting from January without restrictions. This comes after the mainland city announced simplified applications for local licences. At present, yachts registered outside the mainland have to go through troublesome procedures before they can sail into mainland waters.
Though the process may take only seven days, owners who make regular visits need to give up their Hong Kong or Macau licence to apply for a mainland one - an instant turn-off for most yacht owners.
Now, in a scramble to grab a greater share of the lucrative yacht business in the Pearl River Delta, Zhuhai has announced that it will allow yachts registered in Hong Kong or Macau to apply for a local licence without having to give up their original certification.
The new policy will take effect from January 1.
Tang Wan , deputy director of the Zhuhai Maritime Affairs Bureau, said the change would boost the city's efforts to be the delta's main yacht hub.
'Hong Kong and Macau have more than 10,000 yachts. But the number of the boats coming to Zhuhai each year is just about 100 and only two of them have a local licence,' he said.