Trewut Anurakpandit, CEO, Yacht Me Corporation, 0
Thailand's yacht industry is experiencing significant growth, attracting both international and domestic interest. The country's warm waters, beautiful coastline, and growing luxury market are key factors driving this expansion. The yacht industry is expected to generate substantial revenue for the tourism sector in the coming years, boosting local economies and creating job opportunities. In an exclusive interview with CEO Insights Asia, Trewut Anurakpandit, CEO, Yacht Me Corporation, shares his insights on the challenges, growth and investment opportunities and how Thailand competes within the Yacht Industry & Market domain.
Tell us about the current scenario of the Yacht Industry and market in Thailand and the opportunities in the sector.
Thailand’s yacht/boat tourism industry is entering a dynamic growth phase, firmly establishing the country as a premier marine tourism destination in Southeast Asia. In recent years, key coastal hubs such as Phuket, Koh Samui, and Pattaya have witnessed a notable rise in charter activity. This momentum is driven by increasing demand from both affluent domestic travellers and international visitors seeking exclusive, experience-driven journeys on the water.
Government support has played a pivotal role in accelerating this growth. The Prime Minister’s presence at the Thailand International Boat Show 2025 in Phuket this past January underscored national efforts to elevate the sector. In parallel, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has taken a proactive approach to promoting yacht/boat tourism as part of its broader strategy to expand high-value tourism. Through targeted campaigns, international collaborations, and support for showcase events, TAT is reinforcing Thailand’s position as a leading regional hub. Inter-agency policies now aim to streamline regulations, attract foreign investment, and promote sustainability across the marine sector.
Opportunities across the yacht/boat tourism value chain are expansive, ranging from private charters and join-trip experiences to marina development and eco-conscious marine services. With the Asia-Pacific luxury yacht market projected to grow at a CAGR of over 11 percent through 2030, Thailand is well-positioned to capitalize on its ideal cruising grounds, strong tourism reputation, strategic geography, and increasing investor confidence.
What are the key obstacles faced by the yacht industry and market in Thailand?
There are several challenges that must be addressed to unlock the sector’s full potential. Infrastructure gaps persist, including limited berthing capacity, underdeveloped service facilities, and a shortage of skilled marine professionals. Regulatory hurdles, especially those involving foreign-flagged vessels and licensing, continue to create friction for operators and investors.
Most critically, the lack of robust digital infrastructure remains a key barrier. The absence of an integrated system for real-time booking, transparent pricing, and operational oversight hinders both customer experience and business scalability. However, this gap presents a significant opportunity that my startup, YACHT ME, is uniquely positioned to address. As a centralized platform connecting customers to certified operators, YACHT ME streamlines bookings, ensures pricing transparency, and equips operators with smart digital tools. Our mission is to modernize and elevate Thailand’s yacht/boat tourism ecosystem to meet global expectations.
What is your approach toward building an environmentally conscious, sustainable Yacht industry?
Sustainability in the yacht/boat tourism industry requires more than just adopting green technologies. It demands
a fundamental shift in how the entire ecosystem operates. Our goal has always been to build more than just a booking marketplace. We’re developing a complete digital ecosystem that minimizes unnecessary processes, streamlines operations, and supports smarter decision-making for both operators and travellers. We believe that efficiency and sustainability go hand in hand.
By digitizing and centralizing key workflows such as availability management, trip planning, and operator communications. We help reduce underutilized trips, manual redundancies, and resource wastage. These improvements drive greater efficiency on both sides: for customers, it means faster, more transparent booking experiences; and for fleet operators, it enables better management through streamlined operations, the reduction of wasteful processes, and the ability to deploy data analytics for smarter decision-making. With real-time insights into demand, performance, and fleet utilization, operators can optimize scheduling, improve profitability, and crucially respond to customer inquiries and changes more efficiently. This not only strengthens operational control and service quality but also lowers fuel consumption, reduces management and overhead costs, and makes the entire yacht/boat tourism ecosystem more sustainable, scalable, and resilient.
We’ve also begun introducing sustainability-focused initiatives that reflect the broader impact the industry can have on the environment. One of our early efforts involves exploring food waste recycling from the marine tourism sector, aiming to reduce the volume of organic waste typically discarded after trips. By collaborating with responsible operators and local partners, we’re working to create a circular system where food waste can be collected, processed, and repurposed as transforming a common byproduct into a positive environmental contribution.
In addition, we actively highlight and prioritize operators who adopt low-impact practices such as fuel-efficient routing, responsible waste management, and involvement in marine conservation programs. This reflects our vision at YACHT ME to make sustainability a core expectation, not a niche offering, within Thailand’s marine tourism sector. By setting this standard, we aim to inspire broader adoption of responsible practices across the industry and position Thailand as a leader in sustainable yacht/boat tourism.
Ultimately, creating an environmentally conscious yacht/boat tourism industry requires alignment across digital innovation, responsible practices, and stakeholder collaboration. We’re proud to be leading this shift, with a long-term vision that supports both the health of our oceans and the future of our industry.
What is your approach to incorporating technology and enhancing customer experience?
We leverage technology to simplify and elevate the entire booking journey for both customers and operators. From real-time availability and smart pricing to automated communication, our goal is to remove friction and create a seamless user experience. We're also exploring the use of AI to personalize recommendations, optimize routes, and support dynamic customer service, ensuring that every interaction feels efficient, relevant, and intuitive.
Also Read: Investopia 2025: A Grand Plan to Revitalize the Global Investment Landscape
What are the future opportunities you look forward to?
Our ambition at YACHT ME is to become the first truly complete boating OTA (Online Travel Agency) in Southeast Asia and eventually across Asia. We see a tremendous opportunity to unify a highly fragmented market by providing a seamless platform that connects travellers with all types of boating experiences, from luxury charters to join-trip tours and marine activities. Looking ahead, we are also hopeful to see Thailand’s boat tourism play a vital role in driving the national economy, not only through high-value tourism but also by creating jobs, supporting local operators, and showcasing the country’s unique maritime assets on a global stage.
By digitizing and centralizing key workflows such as availability management, trip planning, and operator communications. We help reduce underutilized trips, manual redundancies, and resource wastage. These improvements drive greater efficiency on both sides: for customers, it means faster, more transparent booking experiences; and for fleet operators, it enables better management through streamlined operations, the reduction of wasteful processes, and the ability to deploy data analytics for smarter decision-making. With real-time insights into demand, performance, and fleet utilization, operators can optimize scheduling, improve profitability, and crucially respond to customer inquiries and changes more efficiently. This not only strengthens operational control and service quality but also lowers fuel consumption, reduces management and overhead costs, and makes the entire yacht/boat tourism ecosystem more sustainable, scalable, and resilient.
We’ve also begun introducing sustainability-focused initiatives that reflect the broader impact the industry can have on the environment. One of our early efforts involves exploring food waste recycling from the marine tourism sector, aiming to reduce the volume of organic waste typically discarded after trips. By collaborating with responsible operators and local partners, we’re working to create a circular system where food waste can be collected, processed, and repurposed as transforming a common byproduct into a positive environmental contribution.
Thailand’s boat tourism play a vital role in driving the national economy, not only through high-value tourism but also by creating jobs, supporting local operators, and showcasing the country’s unique maritime assets on a global stage
In addition, we actively highlight and prioritize operators who adopt low-impact practices such as fuel-efficient routing, responsible waste management, and involvement in marine conservation programs. This reflects our vision at YACHT ME to make sustainability a core expectation, not a niche offering, within Thailand’s marine tourism sector. By setting this standard, we aim to inspire broader adoption of responsible practices across the industry and position Thailand as a leader in sustainable yacht/boat tourism.
Ultimately, creating an environmentally conscious yacht/boat tourism industry requires alignment across digital innovation, responsible practices, and stakeholder collaboration. We’re proud to be leading this shift, with a long-term vision that supports both the health of our oceans and the future of our industry.
What is your approach to incorporating technology and enhancing customer experience?
We leverage technology to simplify and elevate the entire booking journey for both customers and operators. From real-time availability and smart pricing to automated communication, our goal is to remove friction and create a seamless user experience. We're also exploring the use of AI to personalize recommendations, optimize routes, and support dynamic customer service, ensuring that every interaction feels efficient, relevant, and intuitive.
Also Read: Investopia 2025: A Grand Plan to Revitalize the Global Investment Landscape
What are the future opportunities you look forward to?
Our ambition at YACHT ME is to become the first truly complete boating OTA (Online Travel Agency) in Southeast Asia and eventually across Asia. We see a tremendous opportunity to unify a highly fragmented market by providing a seamless platform that connects travellers with all types of boating experiences, from luxury charters to join-trip tours and marine activities. Looking ahead, we are also hopeful to see Thailand’s boat tourism play a vital role in driving the national economy, not only through high-value tourism but also by creating jobs, supporting local operators, and showcasing the country’s unique maritime assets on a global stage.