Yachtcharter trends 2019

While the destinations in the western Mediterranean are becoming more and more the home territories of charterers from Germany due to their good accessibility and are booked primarily for short btreaks and week trips, the eastern Mediterranean, especially Turkey, is also experiencing growth again. The exotic destinations of the Seychelles have grown enormously, but the Caribbean is also slowly returning after the devastating storms in autumn 2017. A high degree of comfort on offer at their holiday destination is what is of prime importance to travellers.

"One or two years will probably still have to pass before the hurricanes are out of our heads again," says Marc Rosendahl, Managing Director of Sun Charter. "What is crucial, however, is that confidence in the region and the image of the Caribbean must first be rebuilt. We have noticed this, even though we as an agency were not directly affected by the hurricanes," says Aysegül Inceören, Marketing Manager at Argos Yachtcharter. The islands south of the British Virgin Islands are still well booked until May, but otherwise the Seychelles have taken over first place from the Caribbean as the prime exotic destination. Charterbar Yachting has also registered this: "Many have changed to the Seychelles in their bookings. But slowly the bookings for the Caribbean are coming back again", says Charterbar managing director Ümit Uzun.

The top destinations in the Mediterranean are very diverse, and vary between providers and offerings. While at Argos Greece is now number one, it is still Croatia at other agencies. "Croatia was the largest market, at least for the 2018 summer season, but with less growth than in previous years. The biggest winner in the Mediterranean is Greece with a plus of 15 percent," reports Stefanie Heß of Sunsail/The Moorings. Greece not only scores well with travellers because of its great destinations - the Ionian Sea in particular is very popular, but also because of its low price level. In the Mediterranean region the prices for all additional expenses are lowest in Greece, explains Rolf Brezinsky of PC Baltic Sea charter. But he has also reason to hope for a good season in the Baltic Sea next year - the great weather conditions in the summer of 2018 should pay a dividend.

Italy scores with holiday boaters in the western Med

In the western Mediterranean, the Italian charter destinations have acquired new fans in recent years. According to Marc Rosendahl (Sun Charter) and Aysegül Inceören (Argos), Sardinia and also Sicily are well booked. In Spain and on the Balearic Islands, on the other hand, the gap in booking numbers is wide between the various agencies. While both Sunsail/The Moorings and Argos have recorded a significant decline, probably also due to discussions about both water scarcity and quality on the islands, Mallorca has gone well at Sun Charter. "Mallorca is a great area that can be reached quickly and cheaply. That makes it especially interesting for families," says Marc Rosendahl. "Here in particular the smaller yachts up to 35 feet are in great demand. It makes family sailing affordable." These criteria also apply to the areas around Elba/Italy and Istria/Croatia. Istria in particular lives from the fact that it can also be easily reached by land with your own vehicle, which makes holidays less expensive.

The potential of Turkey is unanimously recognized. After bookings had fallen significantly in recent years due to the unclear political situation, the country is now beginning to make a come back as a charter destination. Providers who withdrew from the country on the Bosporus in the past are reopening offices. "The travel agents are coming back," says Ümit Usun of Charterbar.