Hong Kong is charting a new course for yacht tourism, with Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu unveiling ambitious plans in his 2025 Policy Address to transform the city into a premier yachting hub in Asia.

With 1,180 kilometres of coastline and 263 islands, Hong Kong is uniquely placed to embrace the growing yacht economy. As part of the “Tourism Everywhere” initiative, the government will add around 600 new berths at sites including the former Lamma Quarry, the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter area expansion, and the Hung Hom waterfront, alongside more than 500 berths at the Airport City yacht bay – catering even to superyachts over 80 metres.

To make visiting easier, new measures will relax entry requirements, introduce a ‘Dynamic Yacht Monitoring System’ for safe anchorage, and upgrade the Electronic Business System for streamlined arrival clearance. New training schemes will allow mainland yachts to navigate local waters, with plans to extend the initiative outside China. Hong Kong will also work with Guangdong to advance cross-boundary yacht travel under the GBA scheme, promising smoother sailing across the region.