We’ve just sent our Xmas and New Years Newsletter, with special offers in Thailand, the Bahamas, Caribbean, Mauritius and elsewhere. Still availability left if you want to go for it, or we also have suggestions for Yachts you can put under the tree as a present for next summer!

If you’ve signed up for the newsletter, you’ve already received it, otherwise, you can just click here for all the offers and details.  Or you can click her to see our Xmas Specials.

Our Southeast Asia office reports that the charter season in Thailand and Phuket is in full swing now that the rainy season is over.  Some of the big luxury sailing yachts that spend the summer months in Bali, Indonesia have made their way back up to Phuket and Langkawi in preparation for the high season  in the Andaman Sea. Here are four of our favourites:

ASIA – 5 Cabin 100 ft luxury sailing yacht
SILOLONA – 5 Cabin Phinisi Schooner
RAJA LAUT – 6 Cabin gaff rigged Schooner
QUEEN OF ANDAMAN - 4 Cabin luxury sailing yacht

High Season Availability

With respect to availability of our charter yachts in Phuket, availability starts to get tighter as Christmas approaches, especially on catamarans.  There are still some left however – you can see our selection of yachts on our Phuket Charter Yachts page.  Please contact Kevin in our SE Asia office for specific availability.

New Yachts

Kevin further reports that there are a few new yachts this season, including a Lipari 41 bareboat  catamaran and two new bareboat power catamarans:

Leopard 37 Power Catamaran
Leopard 47 Power Catamaran

Super Yachts

And finally, some of the world’s most gorgeous Super Yachts are making it to the Andaman Sea this year!

AXIOMA -  47 Meter ISA luxury motor yacht
MY SPACE – MY SPACE 34 Meter Baglietto

Click here to see our full range of SE Asia Luxury Yachts and if you need further information on any Thailand Yacht Charters, see our Thailand Yacht Charter Guide.

Everyone asks us how the summer went and what is going on in the charter market these days, so here are our views on the market and and a few of our expectations for the remainder of the year.

About midway through July, demand for Mediterranean charters picked up dramatically – last minute charters came out of the woodwork and we’ve been inundated ever since. Anecdotal stories from other industries such as villa rentals generally say that same thing. People wanted deals, but in the end they still wanted a great holiday, despite the recession.

We believe that there is much more confidence amongst charterers, and that this will continue into the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Asia/Pacific high seasons from December through April. We’ve seen our traffic and enquiries accelerate (more than double from last September when the world was falling apart) and our operators in the Caribbean say that Christmas and New Years availability is becoming scarce. If you’re planning a charter during this peak period in the Caribbean, especially the BVI, then best to contact Boatbookings.com soon to discuss the boats that are remaining (we’ve created a nice listing of BVI Yacht Charter Availability here. Unfortunately, with the rebound in the economy, the possibility of “deals” during this peak period is dramatically diminished.

We’ve also seen a significant pick-up in demand for the Indian Ocean – especially in the Seychelles and Maldives. Because these are longer haul destinations, they seem to be picking up a bit more slowly, so there is still good availability, but if the current trend continues we wouldn’t recommend waiting until the last minute and looking for deals, or you may be disappointed.

Thailand got hit with a double whammy at the end of 2008. Just as the world economy was falling apart, the Bangkok international airport was closed by political protesters, heavily impacting the tourism sector in general. This lead to much lower demand in the first half of 2009, and some amazing charter deals being available to counteract all the bad publicity.

But just as our Asia Charter Manager was starting to wonder if the world was still in love with Thailand, July/August has seen a dramatic rise in enquiries and bookings for Thailand charters. As Europeans return from their summer vacations, we expect this increase in demand to continue. In fact, like every year, most cats are already booked up many months in advance for the peak periods of Christmas and New Year in Phuket.

As for the Mediterranean next summer – it’s anybody’s guess, but we certainly expect that next summer will be significantly stronger than this year, so don’t expect the type of deals that we were seeing this year. It may sound self serving, but the best way to guarantee the current prices and get a bit of a discount as well is to get an early booking discount – which generally means booking your summer charter before the end of the year.

(The second in our series of where to Charter in 2009 to find fabulous destinations and value for money)

For those who have been to Thailand, it’s always an unforgettable experience. The culture, cuisine, friendly people and beautiful scenery can be quite addictive.  Add a charter yacht to the experience, so you can easily reach deserted beaches, avoid the crowds, and see the amazing rock formations in Phang Nga Bay and the Andaman Sea, and you have one of the world’s best possible holidays.

And in these tough times, the fact that the cost of living in Thailand is inexpensive compared to home, makes it one of our favorites for 2009.

The majority of charter yachts are based in Phuket, where we have a wide range of sailboats, catamarans and motor yachts for charter – that will quickly take you away from your day to day stress, into the magic of Thailand and the Andaman Sea.

There also other up and coming Thai destinations such as Koh Chang and Koh Samui. There are fewer charter yachts there, but that means even more undiscovered and pristine sailing grounds!!

To top it off, many of our charter operators and owners are offering amazing specials, throwing in free transfers, gourmet meals, wine, beer and thai massage!  If you’re interested, please contact our SE Asia office for full details.

Editors note: All through the recent problems in Thailand, Phuket operated completely
normally. Flights were diverted via Singapore, the Kings Cup Regatta and
Phuket Boat Show went ahead as normal in early December, and not a single
charter was cancelled!

As all of you have no doubt noticed, Thailand, one of our favorite charter destinations, has some political problems at the moment!

Previous problems have largely been confined to small areas around government buildings in Bangkok. Our Asia Regional Manager was actually in Bangkok during the military coup 20 months ago, and life was totally normal for 99% of the city.

This time, however, some protesters have occupied and shut down Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. This is making it awkward for tourists to get in and out of Thailand.  Here is our most up-to-date information on effect on the Thai charter regions:

Phuket

We spoke to several of the major charter operators in Phuket over the last few days. They confirm that there are no problems on the ground in Phuket, life is going on normally, charters are running and the sun is starting to shine!

Airlines are re-routing their flights to Singapore, and regional airlines are adding extra flights from Singapore to Phuket to handle the extra demand.

Koh Chang

This is the biggest travel problem area, since virtually all international clients for Koh Chang will come in through the main international airport. However, for people who still want to get to Koh Chang, it is possible. Bangkok Airways operates flights between Phuket and Utapao, just south of Pattaya. From there, a minibus transfer can take you south to Koh Chang.

Koh Samui

Phuket is the gateway again. Bangkok Airways operates flights between Phuket and Koh Samui. Charter yachts are based in Koh Samui May to September each year.

The good news for travelers is that all these issues means that demand will be down, and there will some fabulous charter offers becoming available over coming months. In fact, there are already special offers emerging from Phuket.  See our Phuket Specials or contact our Asian Office if you would like further information at: +65 9173 4520 or email Singapore.